Star Wars Genesis: Journey to the Edge of Light
by Cyan
Summary: The Jedi are on thier own for the first time in thousands of years. Can they succeed?


Journey to the Edge of Light

Chapter I

A clear shaft of white sunlight filtered through the stands in the alien agora to light upon a woman strolling down the dusty street.  The sun caressed her lithe dancer's figure sheathed in worn red leather.  It glistened in her ice blue hair and sparkled in her emerald eyes.  A tooled pelt blue belt hung casually from her hips, a blaster holstered on her left hip, a lightsaber clipped on her right.  As she walked through the crowd of busy shoppers, journeymen and salesmen, she managed to both stick out and blend in all at the same time.  Her beauty dazzled the eye and stirred the blood of those partial to her species and sex.  Although she did not stick out in any definable way, if one chose to observe her for a moment they would see in her walk, her posture and expression that if they messed with her they would be biting off much more than they could chew.

It was a normal day in the colorful bazaar, men hawking their wares, people shopping, people bartering.  Up the street from the woman, several children played a game that involved several ornate sticks and a lively rhyme.  The woman glanced behind her and smiled in amusement as a tiny Pickwash tried unsuccessfully to calm his giant mount, which looked very much like an obese ronto.  The woman's half smile quickly disappeared when the reason for the ronto's behavior leapt boldly over its broad back.

"Hi, Mara!" the dragon said as he skidded to a stop beside her.  His body was slender and serpentine and the whole thing was incased in sapphire scales of varying size and shades of blue.  His wings were folded close to his body so as not to impede with his running.  A thick, yet see-through crest was raised from his forehead down to the base of his neck.  His wedge shaped head was adorned with ebony horns, slate eyes, and a mischievous smile.  Strapped to his back was a worn saddle and seated in that was a man with sandy blond hair and a grin and twinkle in his eye that matched the dragon's perfectly.

"C'mon, Mara," he said, his grin refusing to leave his face.  "I think it best if we were leaving."

The woman glared at him in puzzlement for a second.  "What in the universe did you do this time—" she was interrupted as several blue skinned men finally won their way past the spooked ronto and opened fire.  "Sithspit, Luke, how the hell are they here already?"

"Don't know . . ." Luke Skywalker said as he helped his wife swing into the saddle behind him.

" . . . But it is a subject best saved for later," Cyan finished as they bolted off.

They tore down the street with people and animals screaming and darting out of their way.  The Cragon, the blue skinned aliens that chased them, fired without regard for the innocent bystanders all around them.  The bolts that hit home bounced harmlessly off Cyan's hide, but the dragon knew they would not bounce so harmlessly off his passengers.

Ahead of them a cart was just tumbling across the street, filled to the top with lumpy pink fruit webbed with blue veins.  The poor squat pack animal pulling the cart had frozen in place upon seeing Cyan galloping towards it.  As they approached Mara was once again amazed at just how powerful one felt riding the dragon.  Even with the saddle on, she could feel and sense the muscles bunching and then releasing as the dragon leaped easily over the cart.

The pack animal shrieked in terror at this, rearing and swerving to the side so abruptly it tipped the cart, spilling its squishy contents onto the street and towards the approaching squad of Cragon.  They slipped and slid as the fruit burst under their feet, causing most of them to go crashing into the upturned cart.

With their pursuers otherwise occupied, Cyan darted down a side passage and then onto another smaller, quieter street before ducking down another ally, backtracking and taking the most convoluting route he could until they reached the shuttle awaiting them.

"Master Skywalker!" Kam Solusar shouted when they got within earshot of the group of Jedi waiting at the bottom of the boarding ramp.  "We were worried when we got your message—"

"Is everything packed?" Luke asked as he eyed the _Lambda-class shuttle._

Jenab Rohib frowned­­­­­ as Cyan came to a halt beside him and his two passengers hopped nimbly off.  "We have all the stuff we've bought so far on board, but there's still a lot of supplies we haven't gotten yet." 

"Forget it," Luke said, giving Ejila Starbust a gentle shove up the ramp.

"The Cragon are already here, and they know we are too," Cyan explained.

Kam blinked, stunned.  "How?"

"Apparently people know what lightsabers look like even this far out," Cyan said with a sheepish grin.

"Oops," Luke added, walking up the ramp as he pushed Ejila—still too stunned by the speed of the events unfolding to formulate a sentence—in front of him.

"Good job," Jenab commented, rolling his eyes.  "So what do we do now, oh, Master of concealment?"

Mara glared at him.  "We leave, oh, Master of the failed sarcastic comment that makes no sense.  Now get your butt on that ship.  I'll not be getting captured again because you can't grasp a simple combat scenario."

Once they were all piled into the shuttle with Luke at the helm, he blasted into the air with little regard to the carbon scoring he was imbedding into the ferrocrete beneath them.  They were in the air for less than the time it took to take three breaths when Cragon fighters rose to meet them.  Spinning away from the full squadron of cerulean blue ships, Luke skimmed the squarish clay buildings, occasionally dipping into the streets to throw off their pursuers.  Quickly reaching the edge of the small spaceport, they entered into a shallow grassy valley strewn with gray boulders.  On the other side of the valley spread a forest of spindly white chocoluk trees, their interconnected branches swaying like delicate lace in the light breeze.

Luke headed right for the forest, the shuttle cutting through the thin branches of the chocoluk trees.  Though they left a briefly visible path, the trees possessed an amazing ability to heal themselves.  Within minutes, any indication that they had passed was gone.  The speed of their passage sent the whole forest swaying violently, whispering their distress at being disturbed.

By the time the Cragon managed to reach the trees, the branches had healed themselves.  Spreading out into a crisscrossing search pattern, they blasted into the forest without any regard for any obstacles that might lie within.  Luke angled the shuttle forward and to the side, hoping that they could clear the trees while the Cragon were still busy searching inside of them.  They swept out of the forest into rolling foothills carpeted in grass.  Luke waited until they were almost into the mountains and then dialed their thrust down to zero, using the rudder to pump the nose up 90 degrees while everyone else in the shuttle was recovering from the abrupt stop.

"Brace yourselves," Luke said.  Then, before anyone could possible comply with his order he punched the thrusters up to full escape velocity and blasted into the upper atmosphere.  The blue sky was already fading into black before any of the Cragon fighters realized they were escaping.

As soon as they were in open space, Luke set a course for the moon as fast as the shuttle would take them.  Even with their head start, the Cragon fighters were caching up.  The shuttle made it to the dark side of the moon with the Cragon still in hot pursuit.

Cyan grinned eagerly and commented, "I guess this is where the Cragon get their first introduction to _Bairn of Hope."  The flight of Cragon fighters came flying at them with little regard for their speed or direction.  There were twelve of them against one shuttle—what could happen?  They reached the terminal line of the moon and opened fire—_

Within seconds seven of them were floating disabled in space as fire from the _Nebula-class cruiser lanced out at them with uncanny precision.  The ship's sides were faceted with Jeklik diamond, laced with Cawlri silver.  The bow opened up into five triangular sections that spread like the leaves of a flower, revealing ten turbolaser batteries. The remaining five fighters scattered into evasive maneuvers, scrambling to defend themselves from the even deadlier volley that followed the first.  Luke was just steering their ship into the octagonal shuttle bay when two of the Cragon fighters were enveloped in brilliant explosions.  Luke frowned darkly at this but then had to concentrate on settling the ship down.  Popping the hatch, they all piled out and starting jogging to the bridge._

They got there just in time to watch the second last ship explode.  Luke's eyes went to weapons control and found Kyp Durren there, his expression lost in concentration.  Luke strode purposely over and as soon as Kyp had a lock on the last ship, Luke flicked the targeting computer off.

"Master Skywalker!  What—"

"What did I say to you before I left," Luke demanded, flicking his eyes to the view screen as the remaining ship escaped.

Kyp sank a little in his chair when he heard the steel in his Master's voice.  "You said to destroy any ships that might be following you . . ."

"My exact words, not your interpretation, please."

"I thought . . ." Kyp started and then saw Luke's eyes harden again.  "I don't remember your exact words . . ."

"I told you to _disable any ships that came after us.  Disable being the operative word there.  And don't tell me you couldn't, because you managed to do it to the first seven.  I understand getting caught up in the battle but four people just died who didn't really have to.  This battle is going to be costly enough for both sides, let's not make it any costlier than it has to be," Luke turned away from Kyp to the Wookie sitting at the helm, watching the lecture in astonishment just like everyone else on the bridge.  "Chelsy'a, take us out of here before one of those fighters comes back online and blows our engines."  Chelsy'a barked a brisk affirmative and snapped around to lay in a course that would take them out of the system._

Luke stepped off the raised observation deck and sat in the command chair, scanning the ship's short-term records to make sure everything was in order before they went into hyperspace.  Mara sat in the slightly smaller chair beside him and murmured into his ear, "And so the war starts in blood.  I wonder what that says about the way it shall end."

I n t o  t h e  L i o n ' s  D e n   


Chapter II

"Master Skywalker, can I speak with you?"

Luke looked up from the spread of data pads containing all their financial resources to regard Miko Regalia.  "Of course.  Sit down."

Miko murmured his thanks and then settled into the comfortable chair in front of Luke's desk.  "I was just . . . um, I don't really have exactly a question.  It's almost a comment, but I guess it's still a question too." Miko stopped, suddenly realizing that he wasn't making much sense.

"Go on," Luke said, settling back in his seat and keeping his expression open.

"Well, um, hey," Miko suddenly sat up and looked around the spacious office.  "Where's Cyan?"

Luke smiled in amusement.  "He's in engineering helping Lowie haul around the new hyperdrive coordinator.  Now, what's your almost question, Miko?"

"Oh, uh, I was just wondering, well, you seemed a bit harsh on Kyp, Master.  He was doing what he thought right.  Sometimes you have to do more than just disable and better them than you," Miko said finally, looking more than a little on edge.

Luke frowned a little, suspecting this had a lot more to it than his methods of discipline.  "I was harsh only because his 'misinterpretation' of my orders cost several lives.  It's all right to make mistakes sometimes, but that was a little different than a mistake.  I saw where those ships were in relation to us and I am quite acquainted with this ship's destructive capabilities; the possibility was there to simply disable the last of the fighters yet it wasn't taken.  You see, it's more Kyp putting his views of the Force into effect without first thinking about the consequences.  He's been doing it a lot lately and I won't encourage it.  I've ignored it for far too long to my regret."

"But he was only protecting you.  I mean, we are at war," Miko said in perplexity.

"That seems to be the common misconception around here," Luke said dryly.  "Really, Miko, what kind of danger where we in when he started blowing ships up?  We were in the shuttle bay long before any of those fighters could have gotten close enough to do us any damage, and this ship is quite adequately protected against five snubs."

"I suppose so," Miko murmured.

Luke continued, "This isn't a war yet, Miko.  It might become one in the future, but for now, killing people is rather pointless.  I don't want this to turn into a Jedi good, Cragon bad, so Jedi blow Cragon up sort of thing.  It results in them dying and us coming precariously close to the Dark Side, maybe even slipping all the way over."

"Yeah, I guess I can see that," Miko muttered, still mulling it over to himself.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's got you on edge?" Luke asked.

Miko looked up guiltily.  "I just wasn't really sure if you were still mad at me after what happened when you returned to Yavin IV."

"Miko, listen to me," Luke said, sitting forward and meeting his student eye for eye.  "I never, _ever want unquestioned obedience from you.  I want you to do what I say, but think about it too.  If you see something wrong with it, come and ask me about it like you just did.  And don't ever think I'd be mad at you for expressing your opinion.  If you ever piss me off that much, you'll know it, trust me.  What you did at Yavin was understandable, I _was_ gone for an awfully long time, but there were circumstances around it, which some of you have to learn to listen for first before you make snap judgments.  If you're ever confused about something come and talk to me, or Mara, or Cyan or Kam.  I know it sometimes seems easier to talk to Kyp because he's your friend and he has been training for longer than you have—and sometimes he can help you.  But he's still got a lot to learn about the Force, and a lot of it is important stuff that's going to hold him back until he sees it.  Unfortunately, he's not willing to let the rest of us help him right now, but I hope you won't make the same mistakes as he is.  The great thing about learning among friends is you can learn from their mistakes and they can learn from yours.  And," Luke added, standing to let Miko know that the talk was almost finished, "you can learn from each others triumphs.  Tell Kyp that when he asks you what I said about him."_

Miko smiled ruefully.  "I will.  Thank you, Master Skywalker."

"Anytime," Luke said with an answering smile as Miko exited.  Before the door closed, Corran Horn walked slowly in, his hand resting on the back of a small emerald dragon that walked carefully next to him.  Olive kept a sharp eye out for anything that might trip up his friend.

"Corran!  How are you doing?" Luke asked as the former X-Wing pilot/Jedi felt his way into the chair that Miko had just vacated.

"Same as I always am," Corran said with forced cheerfulness.  "I got board so I decided to stop in for a chat."

Luke shrugged and grinned. "Sure, I'm just 'balancing the books' and I'm happy for any kind of distraction."

"Hmm, I can imagine.  Hey, was that Miko who was just in here?" Corran asked as he finally placed the voice that he heard upon entering.

"Yeah," Luke confirmed.  "Kyp put him up to coming in here and asking why I was so hard on him."

"Ah, I'm not surprised.  So what did you tell him?"

Luke shook his head.  "Now, Corran, you know I can't tell you that."

"Yeah, yeah, confidentiality and all that jazz.  Though I bet I can guess what you told him," Corran grunted.  "I wonder if Kyp will listen this time having it come from a friend?"

"I hope so, he's been worrying me, but I think I have a way to get to him.  You, on the other hand, have been worrying me a lot more than he is," Luke added seriously.

Corran frowned.  "Me?  I'm fine, Luke.  A little bored, I guess, but I'm all healed up.  You shouldn't be worrying about me.  You've got bigger stuff to think about."

"Uh, huh.  Sure," Luke said, not fooled a bit.  "Oh, that reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you something.  Could you help out with some of the younger students?  There's several that seem to be developing a talent for the alter mind skill, and you're the most experienced—"

"No, absolutely not," Corran said firmly, emphatically shaking his head.  "I can't feel the Force at all anymore, Luke.  I wouldn't know how to teach them."

Luke frowned.  "So, what you're telling me is that you need the Force to be able to understand anything enough to teach it."

"Well, no, that's not quite what I meant.  I wouldn't be able to . . . oh, stop it, Luke," Corran finally added, gritting his teeth.  "They'd all fall to the Dark Side or something."

Luke raised and eyebrow, unmoved.  "That's one of the stupidest things you've ever said to me.  Not to mention the most incoherent.  You know, until I met you I might have thought what you're trying to say is true.  You need the Force to understand the Force.  But then you came in, fresh off the Thrawn disaster and your mind more on Mirax than on your training, and yet you managed to grasp some very difficult points before I did.  And seeing as you couldn't even get the whole picture of what the Force was, you don't really need it to see what it means."

"But you do need confidence in yourself," Corran said, a quiver entering unbidden in his voice.  "And I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I just don't have that anymore."

"And that's precisely why I want you to do this for me.  These kids are at the very beginning of their training.  I could probably give Han a data card with what he should be telling them and it would work out ok.  But you would bring your life experiences, not only in using this skill, but also in _learning to use this skill.  I can't think of anyone better for this.  Besides," Luke added, "the only other person available for this is Drent."_

Corran's eyes widened reflexively in surprise.  "Drent?  Isn't that the guy who almost wet himself during one of your lectures because he was afraid to interrupt you?"

"Um, yeah.  Actually, he's going to be your assistant if you do this," Luke added.

"You know, you're not exactly sweetening the deal."

Luke grinned.  "I was just hoping you could beat a spine into him or something seeing as you've managed to do such a great job with Olive."

"Me?" Olive squeaked.

"Uh huh.  I mean, you don't go running screaming every time Cyan enters the room anymore," Luke said with a cheerful grin.

Olive sat a little taller.  "I guess I am a little more confidant these days."

"Luke," Corran said, chuckling at the little dragon.  "I couldn't possibly do this . . ."

"Please?"

"No, no way," Corran said firmly.

"Pretty please?"

"You're giving me that damn look that Mara hates so much, aren't you?" Corran demanded.

"Yup.  Please?"

"Fine, I'll do it," Corran conceded, slumping into his chair in defeat.

"Yea," Luke said, pulling a data card out of a stack on the side of his desk.  "Here's all the information you'll need to know on the kids.  And Corran?  Thank you, I know you can do this."

"Yeah, whatever.  Just remember, you get what you ask for," Corran muttered, taking the data card and exiting.

A moment later Cyan entered, his normally glittering scales smeared with grease and coolant.  "So, what do you think?" Luke asked.

"Hopefully, if we can keep him busy enough, he won't have time to let the depression get the better of him," Cyan said, plopping wearily onto the floor beside Luke's desk.  "And what better to keep someone busy than five seven-year-olds who can control what you think?"

Luke shrugged.  "He lived through his own son's emergence into the Force.  I don't see why he won't now."

"And what if you do need the Force to teach Jedi?"

"I'm just hoping the legend of the training of Vima Sunrider holds true.  If Ulic Qel-Droma could train one of the most renown Jedi Masters of old without the Force and just coming back to the Light Side, than I think Corran can teach a bunch of kids the basics."

"Touché," Cyan commented.  "So how're you doing with the number crunching?"

Luke snorted.  "I think we can buy another _nebula-class ship the way these donations keep coming in.  Seriously, if everyone who has pledged their support suddenly stopped sending donations, we could still keep going for another two standard years so long as we don't suffer any serious damage."_

"And if this does erupt into war?  Because let's face it Luke, that's what's gonna happen," Cyan rumbled.

Luke frowned.  "Probably cut that in half.  Still, they don't seem likely to stop sending stuff in.  Heck, that Cal'dosein Stock Broker said he'd send more if war were to break out."

Cyan grinned toothily.  "Yeah, and he's probably not the only one."

"Which begs the question, what do we do with all the extra cash?" Luke asked.

Cyan shrugged.  "Why don't we get everyone together and see what ideas they have."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Luke said, nodding his head as he looked at the final calculations in front of him.

"Of course."

"One thing you'll have to do before then, though," Luke added.

"What?" Cyan asked, suddenly realizing there was something Luke had been hiding from him since he entered the room.

"Take a bath.  You stink like old spacer trash."

"So, what do you guys think we should do?" Luke asked after he was finished explaining their unique financial situation to the group of high-ranking Jedi in the mess hall.

"Why are you asking us?" Wurth Skidder demanded.  "We're Jedi, not accountants."

Cyan growled disparagingly.  "Because this will have as much of an effect on you as everyone else here.  We will see what everyone wants and needs and base our decision on that.  If we didn't do this, you'd be complaining that you had no say."

"Why don't we use it to buy weapons to fight the Cragon with?" Ganner Rysode suggested.

"Jeez, Ganner," Corran exclaimed, "could you sound just a little more militaristic?  We're out here to gather information and find _one child.  I think we have adequate weaponry for that."_

"Corran's right.  We have our lightsabers, this ship, and the Force behind us," Ejila commented.  "That's more than enough as far as I'm concerned."

Suddenly Cilghal raised one webbed hand.  "Perhaps we should set up a ground base somewhere.  A place to send the injured and to keep the kids safe."

"We cold also store supplies or anything else we can't keep on _Bairn of Hope," Kam added._

"Yeah, great idea," Kyp commented sarcastically.  "Get all of our most valuable and vulnerable stuff and put it all in one spot.  Am I the only one who thinks that just a little unsafe?"

Mara frowned at Kyp, speaking up for the first time in the meeting.  "It's not like we'd announce to the galaxy where it was.  Besides, we could station several able bodied Jedi there to protect the place."

"Well, who would these Jedi be?" Ganner demanded.  "No offense, Cilghal, but you're not exactly a fighting Jedi."

"If you're so concerned, then why don't you do it?" Cilghal demanded, just about fed up with Ganner's antagonism towards any Jedi who don't use the Force to fight.

Ganner looked rather stunned at this suggestion.  "Me?  But I'm needed here—"

"Actually, no, not really," Luke said with a casual shrug.  "We have more than enough fighting Jedi to go around.  I think this is an excellent idea.  I want Cilghal here; this is where the major injuries are going to happen if there are any to be had.  So maybe . . . Kawlri?" Luke suggested, looking at the slender woman from Chandrila questioningly.  She thought about it briefly and then nodded determinedly.  "Good.  You and Ganner work together and see how much something like this would cost, what other kind of personnel you'll need, and likely locations.  Does anyone have any more suggestions?  No?  Then you're all dismissed.  Feel free to come to me, Cyan, or Mara if you have any other thoughts."

Luke watched as everyone but Mara and Cyan filed out of the mess hall.  He was just gathering his data cards when Mara abruptly slipped into his lap.  "Whatcha doin'?" she asked with a playful grin.

"Getting ready for a class," Luke explained with a chuckle at her antics.  "I believe you're in it, actually."

"Mmm, that's right.  Care to give me some private tutoring beforehand?" Mara suggested with an innocent expression that didn't fool her husband one single bit.

Luke just grinned back at her.  "You're so much fun when you're pregnant."

"Yeah, I know," Mara said indifferently, shrugging briefly before she cut off Luke's reply by covering his mouth with her's.  They were interrupted seconds later by the amused sound of someone clearing their throat.  Luke tipped his head to the side to see around Mara.  It was Corran and Olive standing near the now closed mess room entryway.  Mara glared at him over her shoulder in mock annoyance.

"You'd better have a good reason for interrupting me, Horn," Mara said, a tremor of amusement finding its way into her irritated tone.

Corran couldn't help but laugh, though Luke, Mara and Cyan all noticed how quickly the mirth left him.  "Actually, I do.  I want to be a part of this base we're planning."

"You do?" Cyan asked in surprise.  "You're taking initiative for something?  This isn't the depressed Corran who's company we've come to love and cherish."

"Look, I just don't think Ganner should be left in charge of something like this," Corran said, ignoring Cyan.

Luke shrugged.  "Kawlri will learn to handle him.  She's quite resourceful."

"But it will take her a while and who knows what kind of damage Ganner will cause between now and then," Corran said urgently.

"Explain."

"Ganner believes that Jedi are always going to know the right choice more often than 'ordinary' people and if those people can't see that, then it becomes our job to make them.  You yourself have said this is a dangerous philosophy to have especially when dealing with the Force.  I'm just worried about what's going to happen to all the kids when they're exposed to that."

Luke shrugged again.  "Well, it's a good thing you'll be in charge of training the kids."

"Huh?"

"What, you think I convinced you to take those kids on and then I'm gonna just let you off without a thought?  Come now, Corran.  The fact that you're going is a given.  Oh, but you'd better tell Kawlri that.  Ganner might have forgotten to account for that fact," Luke added.

Mara snorted.  "Given his reluctance I suspect he's quite well aware of it."

"Then I'll go catch up to them.  Maybe I can help plan this too.  It'll…give me something to do with my time," Corran said with a wan smile before swiftly exiting with Olive in the lead.

  


Chapter III

"You're trying to control how you move, Kyp," Luke said.  His most advanced students were arrayed in the training complex located in the geographic middle of the ship.  Luke had started the lesson by telling them to find enough room to stand and swing their arms and legs and any other appendage around without injuring someone else.  Then he asked them to relax, close their eyes and let their bodies move to the rhythm of the Force.  They had reacted in typical fashion.

Kyp immediately started into some flashy turns and twists that almost made him run over Streen.  Mara and Kam frowned at him and then started tentatively reaching out to the Force to see what the hell he meant.  Cilghal was letting her body sway from side to side and hoped she would fall into the pattern.

"Alright, everyone stop, you haven't a clue what you're doing," Luke said finally when the chaos didn't dissipate on its own as it usually did.  "I'm going to do it, and then I want you to see if you can tell how I'm doing it.  The first one who figures it out gets a big gold star."

There was rippled laughter from everyone except for Kyp who was frowning in annoyance, probably convinced that this had no practical use.  Luke pushed his shoulders up, back and down, then shook his body to make sure he wasn't stiff, then he let himself slump where he stood and reached out to get a feel of the Force.  He could sense the smoothness of it, ebbing and flowing towards certain events in the galaxy.  A few lives started here, many lost there.  He ignored his body and so his body had nothing left to do but follow the mind.  He shifted from side to side, the movements gradually becoming larger until he was taking a step or two in various directions.  However he never sped up the original pattern he had started.  Though it got bigger, it did not change.  Soon the change in life he felt in the Force was represented in him stretching out his elbow as far back as he could, then letting his head tip forward with his body slowly leaning into it until his shoulder suddenly, yet gradually, shifted to the side and up.  He could feel his students' concentration as they tried to see what he was doing and then the spark of delight when one of them figured it out.

Luke opened his eyes slowly and smiled.  "Streen gets the gold star."  Everyone turned their attention from him to their fellow student who was moving back and forth in exactly the same almost pattern that Luke had been doing.  "Why don't you tell them what you're doing, Streen."

"I'm not doing anything, I'm just listening to the Force and letting by body do whatever," Streen said in wonder.

There were several murmurs, as people finally understood.  "Who can tell me why this is a good skill?"

"You got me," Kyp said, staring at Streen in puzzlement.

Cilghal blinked her bulbous eyes and answered, "You can find out if something big is happening somewhere without expanding a lot of energy to see the future or try and explore things all around you."

"Exactly.  If you all started moving the way Kyp just did, than we all would have been about to explode in a Force Storm or something," Luke explained.  "This is also an advanced Battle Meditation technique.  It gets you more in tune with the Force so when you need it to fight with, it will come to you even more quickly.  It can be used before you try and look into the future, or before you try to do anything with the Force, really.  It's a way to familiarize yourself with the Force to better understand it."

"You'd think with how experienced we all are, we wouldn't need to understand it anymore to use it more effectively," Kam mused.

Luke snorted.  "None of use has the cranial capacity to understand the Force that well."

"Speak for yourself," Mara said with a grin.

Luke chucked.  "Alright, I'm going to make sure you've all got it, and then you're all going to go back to your quarters and do this for as long as you can.  When you come out of it, don't stop to rest or eat.  You won't need to.  You will feel very rested and aware.  Go right into a meditation trance for the night and come here first thing tomorrow morning and bring your lightsabers."

There were many traded glances at his last comment —whatever tricks Luke had for lightsaber combat had long since been imparted to them all—but everyone complied.  Streen went to his rooms immediately, with Cilghal next, then Kam, and eventually Kyp.  Once everyone else had left, Luke stepped up behind Mara and pressed his body up against the back of hers.

"Luke, why am I still here?  And by the way, this isn't helping me concentrate," Mara added.

"If you're concentrating than you're doing it wrong."

"You know what I mean, besides you still didn't answer my first question."

Luke smiled briefly before answering, "I wanted to try something.  I learned this in the Dream on K'ti'ma and it said this could also be used to help connect two Jedi together.  I wanted to see what that was like."

"Oh, really?" Now it was Mara's turn to smile.

"Uh, huh.  I asked Kyp, but he wasn't interested.  So I'll settled for you," Luke said matter of faculty.  Mara laughed, falling completely out of the movements.  Luke slipped his arms around her expanding waist and waited until she stopped.  "You in or do you want to do this completely alone?"

"I'm in.  It wouldn't do to ignore what my Master suggests I do," Mara said with a facetious grin.  Once they had stopped laughing they settled into the rhythm again, Mara in front, Luke behind her with his body pressed exactly against hers.  

After a while Mara found that she quickly lost all concept of time, yet she was sure they had been doing it for a while.  It was like letting yourself float in the ocean with no conception of how long you were there or which direction you would float next.  She felt the scream of billions of souls as a star went nova in some unimportant corner of the galaxy.  Followed by the screams of a child just entering the universe.  She heard the echoes of voices that had spoken where she stood minutes, hours, days, years, eons ago.  She heard the whispers of things to come.  Then she felt two little minds, floating in the same current as she, suddenly overjoyed that she and Luke had come to join them.

"Luke!" Mara exclaimed softly, her voice shaky in wonder.  "Luke, can you—"

"Yes!" Luke said, his voice much like hers in shared wonder.

Mara didn't know how long they stayed that way, floating in crystal clear fog.  Eventually she came out of it, though not all at once.  She knew she was going somewhere, but it was hard to tell.  Everything was off color, shifting from the everyday to being colored with the Force.

"Mara?" Luke's voice murmured very close to her ear.  "Come up for air a minute, Mara."  Mara blinked, suddenly realizing she was in her room.  Luke's arm was around her waist, practically supporting her.  "Love, I want you to keep going with this by yourself.  If you don't think you can, than that's fine, I'll take you to bed.  But if you feel like doing this some more, I think you should."

"I want to.  Oh, Luke, this is amazing!" Mara whispered.  Luke smiled warmly and slowly withdrew his arm, staying near her until he was sure she was swaying in reaction to the Force and not exhaustion.

Mara wasn't entirely sure at what point she stopped and went into a meditation trance, but she woke up the next morning feeling as though she was seeing everything for the first time.  Every edge, every chair, every person, everything stood out in stark detail.  She just remembered to grab her lightsaber on her way out.  She arrived at the training complex to find Cilghal, Kyp, Kam and Streen just arriving to the same surprise.  Luke was sitting calmly a third of the way away from the wall with every other Jedi above the age of ten sitting behind him in neat rows.

Tachi, a young Valoran girl of eleven frowned at the new arrivals.  "How come their eyes are all dilated?"

"If you were seeing what they're seeing right now, you're eyes would be pretty dilated too," Cyan told her with a grin.

"You all wonder why I make you do all of those meditation exercises instead of teaching you how to fight with lightsabers.  Well, you've all watched these people use lightsabers quite competently before.  In fact, some of you have watched them so raptly you could probably recognize their fighting style miles away."  Luke paused as some of the kids shoved one another and laughed at their "hobby".  Luke waited until they had quieted down somewhat and then continued.  "Yesterday they just learned a new technique to 'listen' to the Force.  I won't explain it because most of you won't get it at all and it could confuse you later on.  And the rest of you who do understand might try it and you should be observed by someone who knows what they're doing when you first start.  Now, I want the five of you to set your lightsabers to a low setting, and then let me check them first because let's face it, you're not all here right now."  Again, brief laughter.  Luke checked their lightsabers and then waited until everything was quiet.  "Ok, now spar.  Don't let any emotions get in the way.  Don't concentrate, just try and stay in the same state you're in now, but try and fight each other to the beast of your abilities at the same time."

There was a pause as they all absorbed that information, and then all at once they started.  Mara couldn't actually think of it as fighting, it was more of an intricately choreographed dance.  They flashed, turned, ducked, jumped.  Always connecting but never injuring one another.  They would miss by millimetres, yet it would feel like kilometres.  Everything was in slow motion, everything was planned, everything was preordained.  Mara started to see things; she saw images, people she knew, people she would; her steps faltered.  She saw the crucifix with Luke on it; she saw the shattered city with Luke swaying in exhaustion on a hill before it.  She faltered and fell, slumping against the wall.  The rhythm of the sparring match broke briefly, then continued on into another rhythm that didn't include her.  But Mara could see in the other's faces and mannerisms that they were beginning to see what she had seen.  Streen fell next, then Kam. Cilghal and Kyp fell at the same time.  Luke was by Mara, helping her hold a glass of water and tip it to her lips with her trembling hands.  Corran was helping Kam, Cyan and Olive helped Streen and Cilghal.  Yet they left Kyp sitting in the middle.  Mara wondered at that for a moment before she was finally able to look at him.

He was trembling more than anybody else and tears were streaming down his cheeks.  He wasn't looking at anything except a point of the floor and every once and a while a sob would be choked from his throat.  He started rocking back and forth, hugging himself.  Luke stood and addressed his other students who were watching in unbridled awe.

"If you do not explore the Force as they have, you will never reach this level.  When you understand that the Force is a part of _every living being, then you will become truly powerful.  You can see this now, or you can figure it out how Kyp just did," Luke watched them all, taking in their reaction.  "Go back to your studies and reflect on what you have just seen."_

As everyone filed out of the room, Luke knelt by Kyp who seemed completely unaware of anything else that was happening around him.  Luke touched his shoulder and he jumped.  "Master!  I—I saw the Force as we made it.  I saw it everywhere, as if pouring from people.  Even non-Jedi.  I knew it came from every living thing but I never _saw it.  They made no less than us, and in some cases, even more.  It didn't matter how much of the Force they could consciously see, but—but—"_

"How they used what they had," Luke filed in when Kyp couldn't continue.  "You're done for the day.  I'm going to take you back to your quarters and you can meditate on what you have seen."

When Luke returned from dropping Kyp off he found the remaining four Jedi sitting cross-legged on the floor, hungrily eating food Luke had waiting for them.  Corran was sitting off to the side talking quietly with Olive while Cyan kept a watchful eye on the students.

"Master Skywalker?" Corran asked softly when Luke settled down beside him.

"It's me.  So what's your mandatory comment on the situation, Corran?"

"Olive somehow let me look through his eyes and I wish I could have seen it with my own.  I can't begin to describe how incredible that was," Corran said in wonderment.  He paused and then added, "And Kyp . . . Master, he saw it on his own.  I didn't—"

"Give him that much credit?" Luke cut in with a grin.  "This exercise lets you become aware of everything around you and inside of you.  Kyp just realized that what he thought he saw wasn't what he was seeing at all.  This hasn't fixed the problem with all the Jedi who were following this philosophy . . ."

" . . . But we did manage to take away their main figurehead.  Perhaps now they will think for themselves," Cyan finished for him.  "C'mon, Luke.  They've just about finished inhaling their food so let's start some major reflection."

—————————————

"Master Skywalker, there's something big coming in from hyperspace."

Luke turned to Bgfra who was manning sensors in Streen's absence.  It was later in the day and Streen, Mara, Kam and Cilghal were in their quarters recovering.  "On screen."

The holo display came on just in time for them to watch the triangular shape of a gleaming white Star Destroyer come into realspace.  It moved towards them but didn't raise its shields or power up its weapons.  Luke suddenly had the distinct impression that he knew the ship.

"It's the _Chimaera, Master," Bgfra said in surprise after Luke asked him to identify the ship.  _

"Their hailing us," Kawlri said from Communications.

"Open up a channel," Luke said, swiftly rising and moving into range of the holo projector.  "Pellaeon?  What the devil are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you, actually.  You're not easy to find," Gilad Pellaeon, Grand Admiral of the Imperial Remnant commented.  He was an aging man well into his sixth decade.  Though he still held many of the Imperial beliefs true, he was smart enough to see when they were wrong.  Even in all the years they were opponents, Luke held a great deal of respect for Pellaeon, especially when he realized the folly of continuing the war between the Empire and the New Republic and forged an alliance between them.

"That's generally a good plan when you're heading into the territory of an entire race that would like nothing more than to annihilate you and your own," Luke said dryly.

Pellaeon chucked.  "True enough.  I was wondering if you and I could have a talk.  You can fly over here, or I can come over to your new ship, whichever you would prefer."

"Why don't you come over to the _Bairn of Hope," Luke suggested.  "I can give you the grand tour while we talk."_

Luke was waiting by himself when the Admiral's shuttle landed in the ship bay.  It settled down smoothly and began its shut down process with much hissing and anonymous pops and bangs.  The ramp began to lower and Luke waited patiently at the bottom.

"Hello, Skywalker," Pellaeon greeted him as he walked swiftly down the ramp.  He held out his hand and the two men shook firmly.  "No entourage?  I was expecting your wife to at least show up."

Luke smiled.  "She and most of my advanced students had a very difficult learning experience today.  At the moment they're all traumatized in their rooms.  Though Mara will be quite upset she missed you.  But . . . I don't sense any other life in that shuttle.  You came here alone?"

"Yes," Pellaeon shrugged his shoulders without concern.  "I didn't think I would need them on a ship full of Jedi.  Why, should I have?"

"No.  I'm just a bit impressed that your command staff allowed you to come by yourself," Luke said as he led the Admiral from the ship bay.

Pellaeon snorted.  "There's a lot of things my command staff _thinks I should do.  The great thing about being Supreme Commander is I don't have to listen to any of them if I don't want to."_

Luke chucked and started off down the passage that would take them to engineering.  "So tell me, why are you here?  You do realize that we're not part of the New Republic anymore and unfortunately I cannot spare any of my students at the moment."

"Yes, I appreciate that.  We got a little suspicious when Sienar contacted the government to make sure they wouldn't be reprimanded for offering you support.  It's currently the best worst kept secret in the Empire," Pellaeon explained.

"What, our public desertion wasn't enough to convince people?"

Pellaeon shook his head.  "Not much of that made it to the Imperial HoloNet.  The Council has had as much of that suppressed from outside knowledge as possible.  But after a few query letters to Karrde, we found out what had happened."

"They're trying to cover up the fact that we left?" Luke asked in wonder.  "Why not just denounce what we're doing and separate themselves from us as much as possible?"

"They can't do that.  The Jedi are too much a part of the New Republic for them to just outright disown you.  Besides, you disowned them; it does look a little bad on the Government when you realize that, except for Leia, of course.  She is quite adamant about getting support for your little incursion," Pellaeon said.

Luke frowned.  "Hmmm, and I can guess who her biggest opposition is."

"Yes, Blacksky is quite the annoyance."

"She's more than that," Luke said, shaking his head.  "She's working for the Cragon, did you know?  Yes, we even have cause to believe she has brain tissue implanted in her from one of our Jedi."

"What?"

"The process has left him blind to the world and blind to the Force.  Not to mention dangerously depressed.  A simple bioscan would prove us right, but it will never happen," Luke commented softly.

Pellaeon frowned.  "That sounds a little pessimistic, especially for you."

"It is something I sense will not happen, at least, not the way it should," Luke said obliquely.

"Do I want to know?" Pellaeon asked.

Luke snorted.  "I think it would be much better for you politically if you didn't."

"Fair enough," Pellaeon said as they entered a turbolift.  Luke pressed a button that would take them aft.  "Perhaps we should get to the full reason I am here."  Luke nodded and settled his back against the wall and gestured for Pellaeon to start.  "I want to work with you.  Offer you support."

Luke stared at him blankly for a moment.  "This is insane.  I mean, I hate to tell you this, but we're more than self-sufficient—"

"That's not what I meant," Pellaeon interrupted.  "We gathered that you had enough financial support, but I want to work with you on a more military level.  A shared information deal.  Our archivists have recently found some information that suggests that Thrawn _was _going to head our forces towards the Unknown Regions once the war with the New Republic was over.  After contacting the few remaining Imperial outposts in this area, we've contacted Thrawn's home world and gotten some information on the Cragon.  I'm sure you would like very much to read this information."

Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise.  "Yes, very much.  But what would we be doing in return?"

"There are places you can get to that we can't.  You help us get into those places, we help you get into places you can't, and we both have someone else to fall back on if push comes to shove.  Albeit you have much more to gain from this than I do, but I know you will not abuse this deal," Pellaeon said without a single feeling of doubt.

The turbolift came to a halt and Luke led the way out, suddenly changing direction to his office.  "I can assure you that I won't, but I can also assure you that we are very interested."

"So, what you're saying," Mara said the next morning once she had rested and gotten over some of the events of the previous day, "is we now have reliable intelligence, are financially stable, and even have back up.  Luke, if the Force was whispering for you to do this before, it's shouting at you now."

They were on the bridge and things had more or less returned to normal besides the fact that occasionally Mara, Kam, Cilghal, Streen and especially Kyp would be caught randomly starring into space.  After Luke concluded the deal with Pellaeon, the _Bairn of Hope moved on to Jaghal VII to pick up the supplies they hadn't been able to get on their last stop.  The world was a part of the New Republic and very Jedi friendly.  Now they were waiting in orbit as an old Corvette, the __Jewel of Caltasha, lumbered up from Jaghal VII's atmosphere.  Luke had sent a message to the governor detailing what they were looking for and where they should go for it.  Soon afterwards, the Corvette answered with a text message saying they had some excellent Valgo preservatives for sale and it would be easier for them to bring them up in their ship since they were on their way out of system._

"Yes, things are going quite well.  Though I have this eerie feeling that this is just the calm before the storm," Luke mused.

Cyan snorted.  "Yeah, there is no way this is going to be as easy as it has been so far.  We're being set up to do some big shit and I have a feeling we're gonna need all the stuff we've got."

"The _Jewel of Caltasha reports there's docked and waiting to unload, Master" Kawlri said._

"Hmmm, we should probably go to meet them," Luke commented, standing and holding a hand to Mara which she grabbed to help haul her out of her seat which was becoming more and more difficult as her girth expanded.  She still couldn't figure out how she had managed to take part in the acrobatics of the day before.

"That's probably a good idea, dear," Mara said, then added in mock sadness, "though I doubt they'll be nearly as surprising as Pellaeon."

Cyan shrugged as they exited the bridge into a turbolift.  "Hey, you never know."

Corran was sitting calmly on a crate in the ship bay, waiting with Valin as the Corvette went through its shut down sequence.  Luke had asked if Olive could help with the unloading and since Mirax was going to check the preservatives before Luke bought them, Corran had nothing else to do but chat with his son.

"How come I can't help, dad?" Valin demanded, miffed that he was ordered to sit to the side while everyone else was waiting impatiently for the ramp to drop.

Corran chuckled.  "Because a single Valgo preservative is probably bigger than you are, let alone a whole crate of them.  You'd throw your back out and then who would steer me around when Olive isn't there?"

Corran could almost see Valin pout.  "Yeah, that's a good point.  But what about Ollie?  He's not much bigger than I am."

"Ollie can also pick us both up," Corran added.  "You can't judge everyone by their size.  Remember what Master Skywalker said about Yoda?"

"Of course," Valin said disdainfully, offended that his father even had to ask.  "He's the only thing that gives short kids like me any hope."

Corran laughed again but any response he might have made was cut off by Cyan's booming roar as he, and—Corran assumed—Luke and Mara exited the turbolift into the ship bay.

"It's time to stalk up on some hearty Valgo preservative goodness!" Cyan bellowed.

His comment was met with many decidedly unenthusiastic groans.  Corran could imagine Luke's helpless shrug as he responded, "Get used to it.  Who knows how long it will be in between planets.  Fresh food's probably a thing of the past."

More groans and Corran heard shuffles and clangs as the Jedi students shifted around the shuttle, waiting to get in.  He heard three sets of footfalls, one heavy accompanied by a _click, click, click of talons hitting metal and the soft chiming of Cyan's scales.  Luke's step was fairly average aside from a surprising lightness, and Mara's footsteps were almost soundless, which always invoked an image of lethal grace in Corran's mind.  Then a click as Luke hit the intercom on the wall._

"Kawlri?  Tell whoever's piloting that thing that they can lower the ramp already," Luke said.

"I did," came the slightly distorted response.  "They were waiting for you to get there."

The screech of hydraulics followed by the unmistakable sound of the ramp lowering came seconds later.  Corran turned his head to the side as he heard Cyan come over.  "How are you doing today, Corran?"

"Oh, good.  I can't help, so I figured I just sit here and pretend I'm being productive," Corran said cheerfully.

"Sure," Cyan said dryly.  "You know, I'm bet there's something you can do."

Corran snorted as the ramp hit the floor with a _clunk.  "Yeah, people are gonna shout how many Valgo preservatives are in each crate as they stack them and I'm gonna count in my head."  Corran waited a minute for Cyan's response, realizing that no one else was talking and the only sound in the room was a pair of boots hitting the ramp on their way down.  As if the sound was aware it was out of place, it gradually came to a stop.  "Cyan?  What is it?  You haven't made your witty rejoinder yet."_

"Well, it's—uh—well—" Cyan stuttered, grasping for words.

"It would make it much simpler for me if you could use a whole sentence.  You might not realize it, but it's hard to pull much from 'well, it's—uh—well'."

"But, you don't get it!" Cyan said at last and Corran was finally hit with the feeling of extreme shock that was permeating the room so much so that anyone could feel it no matter how dead to the Force they might be.  "It's Callista!"

  


Chapter IV

"Who hear thinks they can lift this ball?" Quesha asked, holding a small rubber ball in her hand.  She surveyed the thirteen short, chubby blue arms that immediately shot up until she came to the one hand that didn't rise in the back.  Quesha pursed her lips.  _Ketchi Gu had come in with the pale human child yesterday.  He told her he had strong potential in the Force, and innately knew how to do many things.  He had come with a little girl that seemed to be his best friend, but since she wasn't being exposed to the steroids, she was taken to the other Day Care.  This one was much different than your standard Care center.  These children were the future of the Cragon Dynasty.  After many disfiguring failures, their scientists finally managed to figure out which DNA code to twig in order to enhance one's reception of the Force.  These children were the first results of that testing.  Except for the human boy._

Quesha frowned harder and started walking towards him where he sat, sullenly starring at the floor.  "Ben?  Why don't you lift the ball?"

Ben looked up and once again Quesha was assaulted with those startling mismatched eyes.  "Don't need to.  Stupid, waste of the Force."

"What do you mean?" Quesha asked, as she always asked when one of her young students thought they had figured something out.  Since she could not touch the Force herself, she had learned to rely on the children's ability to sense things around them.

"Anyone even little bit good wi' the Force can lift ball," Ben said, dismissing her idea with a shrug.  "Anyone great wi' the Force do bigger stuff then that."

Quesha knitted her brow.  This was a very advanced concept for the child to have grasped already.  "What do you mean by bigger stuff?"

"Think what is Force.  How you use it.  They use anger at my da and his friends.  They use Dark Side.  I use Light Side.  Harder, but Light Side makes you grow.  Dark Side eats you from deep in you.  Then you die," Ben explained in a matter of fact voice as if she should have known it already.

Quesha knitted her brow even harder.  She would have a good long talk with this boy after the class was sent to recess.  "Then humor us less knowledgeable about the Force and lift the ball."

"You teach wrong stuff!" Ben insisted, crossing his arms and settling stubbornly on the floor.  "Stupid.  Don't even need Force to lift ball."

"I no think he can," Quesha heard one of the children whisper to another.

"Hishi!" Quesha admonished.  "What have a told you about making fun of others?"

She was so busy reprimanding Hishi that she just caught the flash in Ben's eyes.  It wasn't anger, but something more like self-assuredness.  "You think that so important?  You think that so big?  You no know the Force."  Abruptly the ball lifted from Quesha's hand and twirled around her at a frightening speed.  Then it spun around the room, flitted between the children, bouncing off walls, never once breaking anything as so many of the other kids had done.  Then without warning it flashed across the room and smashed the window so hard it sent shards spraying into the classroom.

"Ben!" Quesha exclaimed, not sure whether to be angry, or astonished.

"I told you," Ben said, that same knowledgeable flash in his eyes.  "Stupid."

———————

"Hello, Luke," Callista said as she continued down the ramp.  Her hair had grown to the same length Luke first remembered seeing her with when she was trapped in the computer of the _Eye of Palpatine and it curled down over and around her shoulders and bounced in front of her eyes.  She was wearing an old spacer suit stained with oil and grime.  She was almost down the ramp when Mara took a step closer to Luke and let her arm slip comfortably around his waist._

"Hi, Callista," Mara responded with a hardness in her voice that instantly made Luke bring his gaze from his past love to his current one.  "Long time no see."

Callista's step paused for only the barest second, her eyes flickering between the husband and wife.  Then, before anyone aside from Mara and Luke noticed, she continued walking down the ramp.

"I've been about.  I heard a Jedi ship was in need of supplies so I figured I'd better help," Callista explained, stepping off the ramp and coming to a casual stop a metre in front of Luke.

Luke held her gaze for a long time but when he spoke, it wasn't to Callista.  "Mirax, check the cargo."

"Sure," Mirax said, realizing she was missing something all the other students were quite well aware of, especially Mara.  She made a mental note to talk to Corran as quickly as possible. 

"What are you doing here, Calli?" Luke asked finally.

Callista shrugged.  "I told you already.  I have some stuff to sell."  Her eyes, seemingly against her will, flickered to Mara and then back to Luke again.  He followed her gaze and looked frankly at Mara, silently asking her what she felt.  Mara just compressed her lips and tried to keep her face expressionless.  Even so Luke saw the displeasure in her eyes as the skin around them hardened.

"We need to talk," Luke said softly, turning his eyes back to Callista.

"Yes we do," Mara added, arbitrarily inviting herself.

Callista smiled, though it seemed a little forced.  "Hmmm, yeah.  I think I might have missed something important."

They left the students to unload the preservatives with Cyan and Mirax in charge.  Callista walked next to Luke but carefully kept from touching him, Mara's unspoken antagonism acting like a barrier between them.

None of them spoke a word the whole trip there, all of them ignoring the expressions of surprise on the other Jedis' faces as they walked past.  Mara was just pondering what this all meant when Luke suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

_Mara, I wish you'd let us talk alone, Luke commented through their strong force bond._

Mara didn't respond right away, concentrating on keeping her emotions from showing on her face.  _Why?  There's nothing you could say in front of her that you couldn't say in front of me as well._

_True, Luke conceded.  __But there might be stuff she doesn't want to say in front of you._

Mara stopped and turned to face him.  Luke turned to look at her, leaving Callista confused to the side.  _You want to hear it, don't you?  You want to know whether or not she still loves you._

_I want to know where she stands so we can resolve it and maybe have her go on her marry way.  Or stay here and help us.  And by the way, in case you hadn't noticed, I love you__.  And even if she tells me she gave birth to our love child ten years ago, it's not going to make me stop loving you one bit and I am offended that you would think otherwise, Luke responded, his mental tone colored by his amusement over her possessiveness._

Mara glared at him silently for a second and then finally said out loud, "Shut up," and then walked off.

"Sorry about that," Luke said with a smile, gesturing for them to continue.

Callista followed Mara's departing figure with her eyes for a moment.  "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Luke said with a little smile.  "Don't worry about it."

They reached Luke's office and he gestured to a comfortable couch off to the side that he preferred to use when discussing something personal with his students; it seemed to put them at ease.

"So," Callista said, letting her eyes roam around the office and appearing decidedly uncomfortable.  "When did this all start?"

"What? The ship or Mara?"

Callista stopped looking around and turned her eyes to the floor, smiling sheepishly.  "I meant the ship but I was thinking Mara."

"I can't believe you never heard about it," Luke said in wonder.  "Our wedding was broadcast all over the New Republic and parts of the Empire."

"I have spent most of my time in places that aren't necessarily friendly to either," Callista explained.

Luke shook his head.  "Why did you wait so bloody long to come back?"

"I didn't . . ." Callista dropped her eyes to her lap and plucked at her paint leg with her slender fingers.  "I guess I was kinda afraid of what would happen if I did.  I know that if I saw you, I wouldn't be able to go.  And I needed to keep looking."

Luke didn't say anything for a minute and then asked gently, "Then why come back now?"

"I don't know," Callista said almost helplessly.  "I heard you were in orbit and I thought maybe . . . I've been looking for answers for what, 12 years now?  And I'm so, so tired of wandering.  I guess I was hoping you and I could . . . I don't know, do something."  She fell silent for a moment and then her voice became very small.  "I guess that's impossible now."

"I can still help you.  I won't abandon you just because I have someone else.  Mara knows I'm dedicated to her.  She won't mind," Luke said softly, more than a little caught off guard by this almost defeated view of a woman who had once held his heart.

Callista smiled humorlessly.  "I think she minds just a bit."

"What? Oh, no, no, she'll be fine.  I think she was just a bit surprised.  I mean, you did just show up out of no where," Luke said with a grin.  "Well, what would you have done if the situation were reversed?"

Callista gave a little laugh.  "Well, I sure as hell wouldn't have left you alone with her."

Luke chuckled.  "There you go."  He glanced at his crono then at his desk and then bit his lip.  "I want to help you, Callie, but it will have to wait.  We have to finish off loading your ship and then I have a class with my advanced students.  I sort of blew their minds yesterday and I should really start putting them back together as soon as possible."

"Oh, that's no problem.  If I'm going to stay then I'll have to contact some people on the surface," Callista said, rising to her feat and shifting towards the door, looking more than a little flustered at the events that had just unfolded.

——————————

"Alright, we are going to have a little talk while they clean up the glass," Quesha explained.

"You want me lift ball," Ben said indifferently.

"Yes, but I didn't mean—" Quesha stopped herself and recollected her thoughts, flustered at the utterly unperturbed expression on the boy's face.  "Ben, you could have hurt someone by doing that.  That's not good at all."

Ben shrugged.  "Know that.  Made sure no one get hurt.  Ain't that hard to lift ball."

"What did you do to make sure no one was hurt?" Quesha asked, wondering what other skills this child could possess.

Ben smiled and pointed a stubby thumb at the door.  "He show you."

Quesha was about to ask who "he" was when the door slid open and Quarrcta di Donna's personal _Ketchi, Gu ti Kaiji, walked through.  "A word with you a moment, Quesha."_

"Of course," Quesha said, rising.  "Ben, please don't touch anything while I'm gone."

Ben shrugged again.  "'Course not.  No windows here."

Quesha followed _Ketchi Gu down the hall, mindful of the stares of her co-workers, pausing in their studies or lessons to look in awe and then swift jealousy at Gu and Quesha respectively.  This was the second time in as many days the __Ketchi had visited Quesha.  He led her to the turbolift and then down to sub-level seventeen where the observations of the test subjects were done.  He hardly said a word to her, his contempt at having to yet again interact with someone subordinate to him was fully evident._

"Respected _Ketchi," Quesha asked when they exited the turbolift and started walking down the stark hallway.  None of these doors were open, and the only way to tell what was in them was see through a tiny window near the top.  "I was wondering, why have you brought me here?  I should really be speaking with the boy—"_

"And as the boy said, I am to show you what he did.  I don't think you quite grasped his skill level when you first met him.  So I will educate you a little more on his origins," _Ketchi Gu said without turning to look at her._

Quesha licked her dry lips, getting the distinct feeling that just by speaking she had offended him.  "It would be nice to know who I am teaching," she added very softly.

They entered a large room filled with holographic screens observing the different classrooms.  She could see her's, along with the room that housed the infants just engineered.  Then she saw one showing Ben; sitting in her office, legs crossed and arms relaxed in front of him.  He seemed to be meditating, something she never would have given a child, especially a human child, credit to be able to do.

"That is not the one I want you to look at," _Ketchi Gu said, leading her away from the serene image of Ben to a frozen image of her classroom which she realized was right before Ben broke the window.  He motioned for her to take a seat so she did, wondering what this would show her.  "Watch the glass from the window closely, Quesha, and notice how it falls."_

Quesha leaned forward and watched the window as the holo began to play.  The ball twirled around the classroom with frightening precision and slammed through the window, the shards of glass spraying out.  Then she saw several large splinters heading for Tak and she tensed up, sure that they would hit him even though she knew none of the children had been hurt.  Then, just as they were about to slice into his back, they inexplicably slammed into the ground.  She blinked in amazement, asked them to run the holo again, which they did, and she saw the exact same thing.

"But that was many little things, moving very fast," Quesha said, her eyes lost in astonishment.  "It was going too fast for him to predict them."

"Not for him," _Ketchi Gu said ominously._

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever heard of Luke Skywalker?" _Ketchi Gu asked._

Quesha shrugged.  "A bit.  Isn't he the one that was captured and you could tune in three times a day to see him kicked around the screen?  He was some important Jedi in the Core Systems.  Was sort of a big name in that civil war thing that went on some years back, I think."

"That is about the gist of his rise to fame," _Ketchi Gu said, nodding.  "You see, before the civil war, the Old Republic, which you know was started in part by Jedis's death and our downfall, was overthrown by one man.  This Emperor Palpatine, as he fancied himself, could use the Force and found the Jedi to be a threat, so he had them all distroyed."_

"The Jedi are gone?" Quesha asked, stunned.  Surly this would have come out around here!

_Ketchi Gu shook his head.  "We thought so at first.  The oldest of us remember the rejoicing that went on.  We even started the Jedi's End festival on Cragshal.  But that was stopped about twenty years ago because of Luke Skywalker."_

"What did he do?" Quesha asked, feeling herself get caught up in the story.

"He was apparently the last Jedi left alive.  He destroyed the Emperor, and helped bring about the New Republic.  Then he started training new Jedi.  There's only a scant hundred at the moment.  But what I am getting at is that boy is his son," _Ketchi Gu finished, pointing at the small meditative figure still sitting serenely in her office._

"By the All," Quesha murmured.  "We're doomed."

_Ketchi Gu frowned at her, a flash of wariness in his eyes.  "What is that, Quesha?"_

"How long did the father have with him?" Quesha asked.

"A month exactly."

"A month . . ." Quesha murmured, her mind stunned at the thought.

"Explain yourself, Quesha," _Ketchi Gu snarled, his patience waning._

Quesha sighed and looked back up at him.  "Think about it, Revered _Ketchi.  He is months, maybe even years ahead of the children we have who are the same age as him.  Yet he only had a month of training from his father.  If that is true, think about how powerful a Jedi would be if fully trained and an adult.  I used to wonder how a select few people could have taken down our greatest Dynasty.  But now, I do not."_

"Then train ours to the level he is at," _Ketchi Gu said matter of factually._

"I don't know that I can!" Quesha exclaimed.  "I thought they were learning exceedingly fast, but now I see that they are only at a fraction of their potential.  I fear that when we put them against the Jedi, they will be slaughtered no matter what we do."

"Those are traitorous words, teacher," _Ketchi Gu growled._

"Not traitorous," Quesha denied.  "Just the truth!  Think about it.  I asked them to lift the ball.  Were they able to lift the ball several feet in the air, I would have been ecstatic.  The only way these children will be well trained enough to take on a Jedi would be to be trained by a Jedi.  I just don't know enough about the Force to get them up to a good enough level."

"That is part of the reason why you were given the boy," _Ketchi Gu said simply._

Quesha laughed in self-diminution.  "The boy!  I don't know how much I can teach him.  He knows more than I do."

"Indeed.  So you deal with him separately.  You learn what he knows, and get your children up to that level.  You go like that until we don't need the boy anymore, or he willingly helps you to teach them," _Ketchi Gu explained to her._

Quesha frowned and nodded in reluctant acceptance.  "I suppose that is the only option we have that will give us any chance.  I hope it will work."

"It had better work," _Ketchi Gu growled.  "Not just for their sake.  But yours as well."_

  


Chapter V

"Well, think about it you guys.  Why would you want to do that?" 

"Um . . ." Chell mused out loud, crossing her spindly legs and tapping her narrow chin with a slender golden finger.  "Cause if there is something wrong with your body, you can't concentrate as well?"

"Good," Corran said, smiling in her general direction.  They were in one of several small lecture rooms that branched off from the main training complex.  This one had been geared specifically towards the younger mind.  Its walls were painted in soothing pastels that were said to influence the child's development—or so Corran was told.  There were toys on smooth short shelves for them to play with.  They toys were pretty much like any other set of toys for five to seven year olds, except all of these could only be made to work with the Force.  The floor was padded incase of inadvertent loss of balance while doing any exercises, and it also made a good place for Corran to sit since so far as he could tell, there was no chairs big enough to suit his adult rear end.

"Can anyone else tell me why you should stay in shape even if you're a Jedi?" Corran asked, turning his head to try and gauge how the kids were reacting.  It was funny; he could actually hear them shifting their bodies around in an effort to think hard enough.  He heard a shift of cloth and a squeak of padding as on of the kids shifted all of their weight onto one seat bone.  Corran smiled warily.  "If one of you is raising their hand, I'll have to remind you that I can't see you doing it."

He heard another squeak as whoever it was lowered their hand.  "Oops!  Sorry Master Horn.  Umm, but I had an idea."

"Then what is it?" Corran asked with tolerant patience of the Ral'ka child, Swakan.

"Well, what if something like what happened to you happened to one of us.  We wouldn't be able to use the Force to help us for stuff so we'd have to be in shape.  'Specially if we were in the middle of a big fight when it happened," Swakan said.

Corran nodded.  "That's very true.  You can also lose the Force temporarily.  Like, on Myrkr there are things called ysalimari that can make a bubble in the Force and if a Jedi is around them, they can't touch the Force at all.  There's also another reason, one I had to deal with even when I still had the Force."

"Oh.  OH!  Master Horn!  Pick me!  Oh, please pick me!" an excited high-pitched voice squealed accompanied by a light _plop-squeak of four hooves hitting the ground._

Corran jumped and then grinned in the Equidea's direction.  "Yes Faly?"

"Um, if you can only use the Force to alter minds and stuff and you can't levitate then you need to be strong in other ways," Faly said, her answered punctuated by much shifting around on the mat.

Corran's grin turned to a smile of pride.  "That's it exactly, Faly.  Everyone seems to think that 'oh, I'm a Jedi, I'll always have to Force to do all the hard work'.  But that's really not true.  And there's an even bigger reason why you wouldn't let the Force do everything for you.  Who can guess?"

"You could burn yourself out?" Nelli, a blue-eyed, blond haired, fair skinned girl from Chandrilla asked.

Corran nodded almost reluctantly.  "Yes, in extreme cases.  But generally speaking, that only happens if you try and use the Force for one great big huge thing or for a very long time.  Anyone else want to try?"

"I kinda wanna play with my bike again," Tolly Skidder said.

Corran suppressed a sigh of irritation.  Tolly was Wurth's nephew, and he had dropped the boy off himself.  Before he left, the elder Jedi told Tolly in a voice he thought Corran couldn't hear that he should always remember what _he had told him and that anything Corran said different was a lie._

"What do you think it might be, Tolly?" Corran asked.

"I think you're wrong," Tolly said simply.  "My uncle said we have to use the Force as much as we can so we can protect those who can't.  That's what a Jedi is supposed to do."

"A Jedi lives in service to the Universe.  The Force is our ally, and our Master, and not the other way around.  Your uncle is very young in the Force.  He sees how powerful it is and he doesn't understand why he shouldn't use it.  And now he's teaching you even though he has been told repeatedly by Master Skywalker not to try teaching anyone without permission," Corran said a little more coldly than he had intended.

Tolly snorted.  "My uncle thinks that Master Skywalker just doesn't want to give anyone else any power."

"If that were true, then why would I have a blind Forceless guy teaching you guys instead of me?"

Corran turned to where he thought the door was and smiled in Luke's direction.  "Hello, Master Skywalker.  We were just having a  . . . philosophical discussion."

"Hmmm, that seems to be the same discussion the whole ship is having these days," Luke commented dryly.  Corran felt the mat depress on his left, tipping him to the side a little as Luke settled down beside him.  "So, Tolly, I take it your uncle is rallying against me again?"

Corran could sense Tolly shifting uncomfortably.  No matter what anyone said about him, Luke had this uncanny way of looking at you and making you really think about what you had just said.  "He thinks you were a great guy."

"Were?" Luke's voice came across as more amused then it was when he came in.

"He says you were great in the Rebellion.  You were young an' fightin' evil and doing what a Jedi's 'sposed to.  But that's long time ago an' now your old an' married an' so's Master Jade-Skywalker.  An' my uncle thinks you should let young people take over 'cause you're so old," Tolly explained matter of factually.

For a moment there was silence.  No one snickered or shifted or fidgeted.  Corran turned his face partway, wondering what Luke's reaction to this would be.

"If you ever say that in front of my wife, she will probably beat you into bantha poodo," Luke said finally, causing the whole room full of kids, with the exception of Tolly, to burst into raucous laughter.  "And she doesn't need the Force to do that.  You want to know something else, Tolly?  Corran here, he couldn't levitate and didn't train with me for anywhere near as long as your uncle did, and he could always beat Wurth hands down in every sparing match they had.  So, maybe, just maybe, he knows what he's talking about."

"Maybe . . ." Tolly said, his voice kind of quiet in awe that some blind guy could beat up his uncle The Jedi.  Of course, Luke hadn't mention that they had only sparred once and he hadn't been blind just yet, and it was three years ago.  But Tolly didn't really need to hear that part.

"Now, Tolly," Luke added, "even your uncle will agree that closing your mind to what others tell you will only stop you from growing.  You don't use the Force like your uncle does.  You use it like Corran used to.  Your uncle can't tell you anything about what Corran can do, and Corran can't really tell you much about what your uncle can do.  So you can sit here, pretend you're something you're not and waist a lot of time, or you can accept what you are and excel at being yourself.  It's your choice."

There was no shifting on the mat as Tolly thought about what Luke had said, and Corran knew they were having a starring match.  This was going to be a tough kid to teach.

"I guess," Tolly said, the forced bravado in his voice covering up his defeat.  Corran found himself about to smile and quickly suppressed it; Tolly would probably see it as mocking his mistake and would only make him more defiant.

"Thank you, Master Skywalker," Corran said, touching Luke on the arm.  "I think I can handle it from here."

"I'd like to stay.  Just to see how you're doing," Luke said suddenly, as if he'd just made the decision.

Corran shrugged.  "It makes no difference to me."

"Then by all means," Luke said, "proceed."

It wasn't until the children's parents or caregivers were taking them home that the real disruption happened.  After Tolly's outburst the rest of the class went better than Corran had originally anticipated.  All of the children, including Tolly, took part in the exercises Corran gave them.  Each taking special delight in the fact that with this they almost instantly figured out how to do it, where as with the levitation activities most kids their age were learning, they usually proved all to inept.

As soon as Wurth came to pick Tolly up, the boy ran over and, as children do, blurted out the events of the whole class in about thirty seconds.  Wurth listened, his expression turning from mild trepidation to outright disgruntlement.  He shot a glance at Corran who was completely oblivious, talking to Faly's parents.  Luke on the other hand saw it and quickly moved to intercept the irked Jedi. 

"Come speak with me a moment, Wurth," Luke said, the subtle but firm pressure of the hand he laid on Wurth's shoulder telling his apprentice that it wasn't a request.

"Wait here a minute, kido," Wurth told Tolly, ruffling the boy's hair as Luke lead him out of the room.  As soon as they were in the corridor he spun around and faced Luke, setting himself up as if he were about to go into battle.  "What did you wish to speak to me about, Master?"

"You say 'Master' quite grudgingly, Wurth.  I think that is the root of what I wish to speak to you about," Luke said calmly.

"What do you mean?"

Luke compressed his lips, not fooled by Wurth's innocent façade.  "I told you not to instruct Tolly.  You aren't ready."

"You were my age when you started teaching," Wurth said defensively.

"True, but I had been using the Force for longer then you, and truth be told, I was not ready then either," Luke said, shaking his head at Wurth's stubbornness.  "You should stop this, if only for the sake of your nephew."

Wurth crossed his arms.  "So I'm not allowed to have philosophical discussions with my own family?"

"I didn't say that," Luke rebuked him, shaking his head.  "What I mean is you are interfering with his training and his free thinking.  You are imposing your beliefs on him.  You must let him chose his own path."

"What makes you so sure I can't teach him?" Wurth demanded, tilting his head at a provocative angle.

Luke sighed.  "Because I've been where you are.  You think you can take on the whole galaxy, and maybe you can, but there wouldn't be much left after you're done."

"What, are you afraid I'd get rid of all the evil in the universe?  Afraid there'd be nothing left for the Great Luke Skywalker to do?" Wurth shot back.  "That's it, isn't it?  You don't want people to think you're useless so you think up stupid ways to keep us from succeeding in getting rid of the Dark Side."

"_What?  Wurth, you don't just 'get rid' of the Dark Side!  There will always be people who give in to anger.  The only way to stop it is to destroy anyone who has a temper, and then the rest of the universe lives in fear, which is no better!  You believe in an unfeasible idea, Wurth.  Let it go, Kyp did," Luke added softly._

Wurth squared his shoulders and tossed his head, a flash of anger flittering across his face to reappear in his voice, "Only because you made him see what you wanted him too."

"Kyp saw nothing but the Living Force and the truth of what it is.  Someday you will too, and I hope it's not too late," Luke added as Wurth turned to return to the classroom.

"Whatever, _Master."_

"And Wurth," Luke added before the other Jedi could reach his nephew.  "You will not teach that child.  And that is not up for debate."

Wurth met Luke eye to eye in a silent bid for power and suddenly backed down, a little uneasy from the sudden feeling of inadequacy that came over him.  "C'mon, Tolly, we're going."

"Perhaps you should do the same exercise with Wurth that you did with Kyp," Corran suggested after all the kids were taken back to their quarters.

Luke shook his head.  "He's not even close to ready for that.  He's going to fall soon, and he's going to fall hard.  Maybe . . . maybe Kyp can talk to him."

"Maybe.  I hope.  You know, he scares me sometimes.  The others, they're defiant, but he's so…I don't know, so hard core about it," Corran said darkly.  Then Olive entered the lecture room and rumbled a greeting.  Corran scratched him behind his slowly growing ebony horn.  "It almost makes me glad I got Ganner.  Almost."

Luke chuckled.  "So how is that all going?"

"Um . . . it's going.  We've narrowed it down to twelve planets and right now we are arguing over what kind of personal we should have there.  Oh, that reminds me, how opposed are you to us requesting Imperial workers to help?  It would save us from having to take fighting Jedi out of action.  Plus," Corran added when he felt Luke about to interrupt, "it would give us a reliable line of communication with the Empire, and a plausible front for the base by having it listed as an Imperial settlement."

"I think that's a good idea.  I'll contact Pellaeon today, in fact," Luke assured him.

Corran breathed a sigh of relief, the tension of teaching that first class exiting from his body and suddenly leaving him a little drained.  "Thanks, Master.  Oh, that reminds me, I have a meeting with Ganner and Kawlri right now."

"Then you'd better go.  And good job today, I knew you would be good at this," Luke added as Corran was leaving the room, guided by Olive.

Corran stopped and looked at Luke over his shoulder, a smile forcing its way to his mouth.  "Thank you, Master."

Corran was heading towards Kawlri's room (she seemed to have become the neutral member of the planning sessions so all the meetings were held in her quarters to stop arguments over where to go) when he felt the increasingly commonplace impact of someone running into his shoulder.

"Oh!  I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," a woman's voice said, its bland breathlessness indicating the person's previous state of preoccupation.

Corran snorted.  "I know the feeling."

"Oh, that's right!  I'm so sorry, Corran.  I'd forgotten.  Oooh, that was really insulting, wasn't it?" the voice apologized again, grabbing his arm as if to stress her sincerity.  Olive growled slightly, shifting underneath Corran's hand.

"That's ok, it happens all the time," Corran assured her, stroking Olive's head to calm the dragon.  He frowned, trying to place the voice.  "It's Callista, right?"

"Yes, we've met before."

Corran shrugged.  "True, but it was a while ago.  It's hard to place a voice if I don't know it that well."

"Hmmm, I suppose that makes sense," Callista commented.  "So, ah, where are you heading?"

"Uh, I've got a meeting to get to.  Why?" Corran asked, suddenly put en guard.

Corran heard the unmistakable sound of spacer suit cloth rubbing together as she shrugged.  "No reason, really.  I just haven't seen the whole ship yet and everyone around here seems to have something to do.  And I was just hoping—"

"Luke's right, you are easily flustered these days," Corran commented.

"Luke was talking to you about me?" Callista asked, her voice a little squeaky with alarm.

Corran laughed to ease her fears, which he figured were fairly understandable considering the situation she had walked into when expecting a very different one.  Anyone who could face Mara's ire without become at least a little bit flustered was made of sterner stuff than he was.  "My wife _hates being out of the loop, and she actually never met you.  After Luke came back from talking with you the first time, she practically assaulted him and dragged me along.  The only thing he said was that you were easier to fluster then you used to be."  Now it was Corran's turn to shrug.  "I thought there was something else but Mirax couldn't pry any more information out of him."_

"Oh, ok, that's fine.  We were just . . . talking about some stuff we never really resolved.  But that's fine, whatever," Callista said, her forced casual tone not fooling Corran a bit.

Corran lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head in Olive's direction, a silent way he had learned to ask for the dragon's opinion on someone since he couldn't see them.  Olive rumbled a little uncertainly, as if he wanted to trust Callista, but something was holding him back.  Corran pursed his lips and then gestured (he hoped) in the direction he had just been traveling in.  "Why don't you walk with me until I get to my meeting and we can talk about the, ah, ship."

"Alright," Callista said, stepping in beside him with a self-diminutive laugh, realizing he knew exactly what she really wanted to talk about.  "I never realized how transparent I'd become."

Corran shrugged again.  "People change.  Sometimes we get put in situations where we have to hide who we are because to show a part of yourself would give someone something to use against you.  You get used to that and when you get put back in an environment where such things won't hurt you, you forget how to communicate it.  But I have to admit, it's kinda hard to be so transparent a blind man can see through you."

"That's terrible, Corran!  So now I'm incapable of functioning in a healthy society?" Callista demanded.

"No," Corran admonished, laughing at her worried tone.  "I'm just saying it can be hard at first.  I'm sure you'll figure out how to be more oblique as time goes by."

"Hmm, Mara's certainly got that part down.  Perhaps I should talk to her," Callista muttered.

Corran knitted his eyebrows, a little piqued at the random commented.  "That's a little unfair.  She's always been like that with people she doesn't know that well.  She spent most of her life trying not to let anyone in because she didn't want to get hurt again like she was when the Emperor died.  Luke's the only guy I know who's ever been able to make her see beyond that."

"Yes, he has that effect on people."

Corran turned his head sharply in her direction, wishing like hell that he could see her face.  "Did you even know he'd gotten married while you were gone?"

"No.  I mean, I should have suspected it.  I wanted him to move on . . . at least I thought I did," Callista admitted.

"It's a little unreasonable to disallow him from helping you, but insist he wait for you to find your way back," Corran told her, suddenly annoyed by her innocent dejection.  "Especially if you're going to take a decade or so to do it."

"I know that!  I knew it when I left.  That's why it was so hard.  I knew it; deep down I knew it would happen—that he would find someone else.  I just didn't realize how much it would hurt when he did," Callista said, her declaration vibrant with sincerity.

Corran stopped and turned to face her, knowing the effect his sightless gaze had when turned on someone.  "Then you have no right to be bitter.  You saw what would happen and you left anyway.  So don't take it out on Mara."

"Why are you defending her?  I think she can take care of herself," Callista commented.

Olive growled, picking up on Corran's annoyance.  "Because she's my friend and I don't like it when people take stuff out on my friends that they had nothing to do with."

"Nothing to do with!"  Even without his sight Corran could feel her looking around to make sure no one could hear.  "She took Luke from me.  That puts her right in the middle."

"I didn't take him from you, Callista, you left him alone and scared to love anyone else for fear of hurting them like he thought he'd hurt you."

Corran jerked his head up and winced slightly at the sound of Callista's boot heel scraping against the deck.  There was the unmistakable sound of Mara's footfalls' coming closer, a sound that Corran had quickly come to associate with her anger.  Her steps didn't stop until she was very close to them and Corran knew she was just inches away from Callista.

It took a moment for Callista to find her voice.  "Uh, Mara, I—"

"If you've got a problem with me, you tell me to my face, because I'll find out whatever you're saying about me behind my back eventually.  And what comes around, goes around, _Callie, so best have the pain now rather then later," Mara told the other woman, her voice laden with menace._

"Fine," Callista shot back, and Corran knew the space between them had just lessened dramatically.  "I do have a problem with you—"

As soon as he heard those famous last words Corran grabbed each woman by the shoulder and pushed them back a step—not without resistance.  "Ladies, ladies, c'mon now, let's just release some coolant before there's an explosion."

"Stow it, Corran," Mara snapped, the force of her tone driving him back a step.  "Let's get this all out in the open _right now."_

"Actually, I personally would prefer if we kept it undercover in until we can get some reinforcements, or at least disarm the two of you—"

"Stow it, Corran!" Mara and Callista snarled at the same time and Corran retreated back yet another step and Olive let out a little whimper.  Before anything else could happen, the muted sound of two impacts against the ships shields, quickly followed by the low wine of a red alert sounding though the halls.  This was accompanied by an insistent flashing of light panels on the wall incase someone was profoundly deaf or was really not paying attention.

"Where are you going?" Callista demanded when Mara started to leave.

Mara turned and blew out a deep breath through her noise to release some of her pent up anger.  "I'm needed on the bridge.  It's my duty, and I don't abandon anything or any_one I've promised not too.  We'll finish this latter."_

  


Chapter VI

"What's going on?"

Luke looked up from the small status display on the arm of his chair to watch Mara stride in.  He raised an eyebrow, already aware of the state of aggravation she was in before _Bairn was shot at.  She met his unspoken question with an expression that dared him to ask her right then.  Luke frowned and shook his head.  That would have to wait until afterwards._

"We were just attacked by two Cragon snub fighters," Luke told her as she made her way to her seat beside him.  "Wait, I want you on weapons."

"Alright," Mara said, throwing him a perplexed glance as she made her way down the bridge.  It was set up into different levels, going down like giant stairs, making four sections.  Top was where the sensors and scanning systems were; second—where Luke sat—was command and navigation.  Third were the communication and the information databases, and forth was where the weapons resided.  Mara shooed Ganner out of the gun turret that covered the lower forward section of the ship, the area most likely to be attacked since that's where the shield generators lay and it was on the way to the main drive.

"Eyes open, people," Luke said, sitting back and flicking his eyes over all the sensor displays that were being fed to him.  "I doubt very much those two fighters are way out here all by their lonesome.  Hmmm, Kawlri?  Get Harsa up here."

"Yes, Master," Kawlri said, pressing the microphone to her ear to block out the suddenly heightened noise around her and keyed the com to Harsa's quarters.

_Bairn of Hope followed the two snubs vector until they reached a point where the ships had disappeared behind a large moon.  They were in the uninhabited (or so their charts had said) Undally system; they had stopped to change their hyperspace vector.  Then Bgfra, an astronautics buff, spotted a nebula like cloud slowly being drawn into Undally's primary, and they had paused to study it before the star ate up the material for all eternity.  They were just heading out of system when the two snubs attacked._

"All stop," Luke said, gesturing to Kyp who, upon being removed from weapons for his earlier misbehavior, had settled for piloting.  _Bairn slowed to a standstill, her nose pointing at the terminal line of the moon.  "Can we scan behind the moon?"_

"No," Streen said from sensors.  "There's nothing to bounce the signal off close enough for the readings to be reliable."

Luke bit his lip and rested his chin on his hand, eyeing the view screen.  He stretched out with the Force and felt a definite presence behind the moon—many lives, all excited by the prospect of battle.  The problem was he didn't know what they were in.  Luke leaned back in his chair and let his eyes go out of focus.  Stretching out, he felt around for an open mind, following the currents of thought on the ship until they led him to the greatest center of activity, where he could only assume the bridge of the ship was located.  Then he saw a different path, some distance away, that lead to another center of activity, and then another.  Picking one, he found a mind so lost in its work it wasn't guarding itself from intrusion.  Gently integrating himself into the person's thoughts, he followed them until he reached the visual section of the person's mind and looked through.

The view was strangely focused and off color as was always the case when he looked though the eyes of non-humans.  Whoever it was appeared to be working at a console, tapping away in a sharp, yet beautiful language that Luke did not understand, yet recognized.  With a subtle prompt, Luke got the officer to look out the view port and there Luke caught his breath.  He thought there were just three ships out there, but there was more than that.  Three heavy cruisers hid behind the moon with smaller support craft and dozens of snub fighters buzzing around like some upset hive.  All of the Cragon vessels were moving towards the terminal line of the moon, suddenly tired of the wait and realizing that they were only facing one ship.

"Hard to starboard!" Luke cried, flashing his eyes open and scaring half the bridge crew.  Kyp threw him a puzzled glance from navigation as he sent the ship into a quick turn, all port thrusters burning and then those to the aft switched off and the starboard thrusters in the stern kicked in to slue the ship's end around.  "Plot a course out of the system as fast as you can," Luke added as the main thrusters burned to life and the vessel shot forward.

"Luke what did you—" Mara started to ask, stunned when suddenly her Head's Up Display, or HUD, lit up.  "We've got incoming, vector 578-384!"

"Aft shields to maximum!" Luke ordered, swiveling his chair around to the schematic display of the approaching vessels.  One similar to a _Cosiar assault frigate with a full squadron of snubs came blasting from behind the moon, weapons opening up on __Bairn's unprotected stern.  Just then Harsa jogged out of the turbolift and Luke hurriedly waved him over.  "Identify those ships."_

"The frigate is a _Valsha class, and the fighters are your standard __Lispa 9-13's," Harsa said, gesturing to the holographic display of the unfolding chase.  Luke frowned and pulled up their firing capabilities.  The __Valsha class was indeed close to a __Cosiar assault frigate, and they were already well aware of the performance of the __Lispa 9-13's.  Adding it up in his head, Luke couldn't figure out why they would send such an under qualified force after them when there was more than enough behind the moon._

"I don't know," Harsa told him when asked.  "Unless . . . unless there's another force in system and we're being herded towards it."

Luke jerked his head up and looked out the view port, as if knowing about the hidden ships would allow him to see them.  Stretching out with the Force, he found the tell-a-tail signs of lives ahead of him.  He searched to either side and found more to their right but none to the left or below them.  "New vector, we're going to have to duck out of system."

Ducking out of a system was nothing new, it simply meant one couldn't sling-shot around a planetary body to gain enough speed to enter hyperspace or to hide in a planet's shadow to evade detection.  Which was why Luke was hoping non of the Cragon craft would be lurking in that direction.

He checked the star charts and started giving Kyp new vectors while he sent the new exit point to the navicomputer.   Kyp sent the ship into another hard turn "south" and then let the ship continue turning until they were at a downward slop to their pervious vector.  They were minutes away from being out of the system's gravity well before the Cragon realized what they were doing.  A swarm of the swifter _Lispas came after them with several of the frigates not far behind and the more ponderous star cruisers struggling to change course._

"Ganner!  Get into another turret!" Luke ordered when the _Lispas caught up with them.  Mara was already swiveling around to meet them, not opening up recklessly, but taking a calming breath and allowing the Force to fill her.  She ignored the HUD, and the little red targeting box.  She didn't need either of them.  A flash of insight indicated a ship was about to enter her sights.  She sent off a controlled volley, stabbing into the fighter's fuselage, sheering off the top of the cockpit and most of the pilot with it.  She was already moving to the next target by the time the first erupted into a ball of flame and debris.  She felt several impacts against the shields and heard the distant sound of someone shouting damages from the first level but she ignored it.  It wasn't her job to keep track of that right now, it was her job to make sure there was less ships out there to cause damage._

Two of the _Valshas were in firing range and they opened up on __Bairn's rear quarter, hoping to bring the shields down and in turn disable the hyperdrive located near there.  "Increase power to aft shields, take some from the forward deflectors—Mara keep them off our nose."_

"I'm trying sweetheart!" Mara called, forcing lightness into her voice even as she concentrated on her third target, her second floating inoperable some distance behind them.

"Master!  We're clear to the gravity well!" Kyp called from navigation.

"Clear our exit vector," Luke called down to weapons uselessly, Mara had already started laying down a "plowing" firing pattern useful for discouraging ships from crossing their path.  Ganner and Miko—also on weapons—began to do the same.  It wasn't long before the space in front of them, aside from their own turbolaser blasts, was clear.  "Engage hyperdrive."

"The way I see it, Master, is that someone tipped the Cragon off to our location and they decided to finish us off once and for all."

Luke raised a disbelieving eyebrow at Ganner.  "Their tactics were hardly consistent with a strike force."

"It was more like they were hiding something.  Besides, why would they have that many ships to take out one _nebula-class vessel?" Cilghal demanded.  "As nice as this ship is and as proud of it we are, it doesn't stand a chance against several dozen fighters and frigates, let alone __seven battle-class star cruisers."_

They were in Luke's office following the battle, discussing exactly what had happened.  Luke was given new respect for the economy of space in the ship.  They managed to fit him, Cyan, Mara, Kyp, Ganner, Kam, Cilghal, Streen and Harsa all in there comfortably.

"The only reason they would have that many capital ships in a system was if it was a major base, or there was something very important there that they didn't want anyone else to see, or anyone to get out to tell about.  They might not have even been aware that it was a Jedi ship they were chasing out," Harsa put in, lounging on the couch next to Mara and Cilghal and Cyan stretched in front of them on the floor.  Ganner, Kyp and Kam were in the three seats in front of Luke's desk.

Luke sighed and sat back, deep in thought.  "Of course, that leaves the question, what are they hiding that's so important they would take so much of their fighting force out of the field to protect it?"

"If I had to guess, I would say some sort of research facility," Harsa responded.  "I had some understanding of the way their intelligence rated things since our ship was such a high priority and we were sometimes given information on other top secrete operations which worked in conjunction with our own."  He fell silent for a moment as if a thought had suddenly come to him but was alluding articulation.  "That was the Undally system, right?"

"Yes," Cyan confirmed, regarding Harsa with interest.

Harsa frowned for a moment and then snapped his fingers.  "That's it.  We were supposed to go to the Undally system as soon as Ben was born and you were disposed of—if you'll excuse the phrasing."

"No problem, people use it when referring to me all the time," Luke commented sardonically.

Cyan grinned, "You get used to it after about the twentieth time."

"Maybe that's where they're keeping Ben now," Mara said excitedly, perking up for the first time since the battle.

Kam frowned.  "You'd think you or Master Skywalker would have noticed."

"But we weren't looking right then," Luke explained.  "That can make a big difference, especially if they have a Force Inhibitor on him."

"If they do there'll be hell to pay," Mara growled.

Cyan patted Mara's knee reassuringly.  "If they're studying him, I doubt they would suppress the thing they are trying to study."

"That didn't help," Mara told him tersely, turning her eyes on Harsa.  "How would they go about studying him?"

"Peace, Mara," Harsa told her, well understanding her fear for her son.  "Children are sacred to us.  He would not be harmed."

"You're sure?" Mara asked, her voice, though doubtful of the truth of his statement, was laced with hope that it was true.

Harsa smiled.  "I am positive.  Children are almost worshiped in our culture.  They are our path to the future when the Jedi would be destroyed and we would take our rightful place at the head of the galaxy."

"I hope you've altered that opinion a little," Ganner commented, a little put off by Harsa's words.

Harsa snorted at Ganner's discomfort.  "You think I'd be helping Jedi if I still believed that?"

"Don't worry, Harsa, we know where you're loyalties lie," Cyan told him, his sable eyes glittering a little oddly.  Harsa sat up a little straighter, wondering what the dragon meant but he had turned back to his _padmiri.  "I would suggest, then, that we send a small force in to see what that place is all about."_

"Agreed, but how big should this force be?" Ganner demanded.  "And who goes?  Besides, we don't know anything about that system or we never would have run into them in the first place."

"Streen," Luke said, gesturing to the middle aged student who had remained mostly silent though the meeting.

Streen got to his feet, a little stunned when everyone suddenly turned to him.  "I—I've gotten into the habit of recording the sensor reading every time we run into an abnormal situation or new place.  So when we were scanning the Undally system to study the cloud, I started recording everything we found and analyzed it just for something to do while everyone else was in astronautics.  I found large areas containing ship grade metal and I just assumed this was an untapped system and marked it in the ship's computer as a good mining prospect."

"Once a miner, always a miner," Ganner commented.  Kyp elbowed him in the arm and gestured for Streen to keep going.

Streen nodded his thanks to Kyp and continued, "When it became obvious that the system was crawling with Cragon ships, I realized that the metal deposits weren't really deposits but ships."  He held up a data card and pressed a few buttons.  "I'm sending the readings to all of your data pads.  It should be where all of the ships are located."

"They seem most active around the forth planet," Cilghal said after inspecting the readout.

"Hmmm, yes.  Thank you, Streen.  I want you to keep recording the sensor data.  It might take up a lot of space, but it has been quite useful," Luke said, studying his data pad.  He looked up and gauged everyone's reaction to this.  Cyan was waiting for his decision, though the dragon's feelings were obvious to his _padmiri.  Mara looked tense and preoccupied, Harsa a little uncomfortable—understandably.  Cilghal was reflective and Streen's eyes darted around a little, not wanting to make a final judgment but more than likely had a direction he wanted to go in.  Kam was quietly weighing the options in his mind and Ganner had made his decision as soon as Cyan suggested they send in a strike team, possibly before that.  Kyp was looking at the data pad as though he had no idea what to do._

"Kyp?" Luke asked.  "What do you think?"

Kyp looked up, caught a little off guard by the question.  "I think . . ." his voice trailed off for a moment.  "I think we came out here to find your son, Master, and if he might be there, then we have to check it out.  But we should not go in lightly.  If only to protect ourselves."

"Oh, Kyp, you thought before you spoke!" Mara said with a proud smile.

Luke chuckled.  "Does anyone agree with that?  Yes?  Good.  Now we decide who goes and at what strength."

"That shouldn't be hard," Mara commented.  "You, Cyan, me—"

"Um . . ."

"Um what?" Mara demanded, seeing Luke hemming at her suggestion.

Luke sighed, knowing this was going to be painful, more for him then her, probably.  "I don't want you to go."

"Oh, don't you dare start this again—"

"Mara, you can get as mad at me as you want for saying this but you are no longer in a physical condition where this is advisable," Luke said, visibly bracing for the comeback.

"_What?"_

Luke waited a second after her explosion then said in a carefully modulated voice, "You're having difficulty sparring in training matches, which you know from experience are not even close to the real thing."

"I hardly think they'll be coming at us with lightsabers—"

"That doesn't make a difference and you know it," Luke said firmly.  They met eye for eye and the tension in the room was palpable. 

Mara sat forward and the heat of her tone was enough to fry the hide off of a bantha.  "I am going.  You made me stay back last time and Cyan could have been killed.  I can't in good conscious let you go without me."

"You were never in direct confrontation with the Cragon.  I'm not saying you can't, Mara, I'm just saying it's too risky," Luke argued.

"I think he's right . . ." Cilghal started to say but Mara turned such venomous eyes on her that she decided it was best she didn't finish the sentence.

Luke turned his eyes to Cilghal and asked kindly, "Cilghal, is there any medical reasons you can think of why she shouldn't go?  I promise she won't kill you if you say them.  Her bark is worse than her bite . . . most of the time, and it's probably going to get directed at me anyways."

"Well, if the baby were to get jarred around too much, then it could cause brain damage.  If you got kicked in the stomach, or were hit there with anything really, it could cause major damage or miss-carriage.  If you were to receive any trauma—"

"Alright!" Mara exclaimed, trying to stand abruptly to her feet, and snarling angrily when she didn't manage it on the first try.  She got up a little more slowly and made her way to the door.  "Then there's no reason for me to be here.  I have stuff to do."

"Mara . . ." Luke called as she swept out of the door.  He sighed and sat back down after his half-formed idea to go after her.  She was too furious at him right now, and she'd just had it publicly pointed out just how helpless she was becoming.  He'd give her time to cool down and then he'd go talk to her.

  


Chapter VII

"Mara?"

She was standing with her back to him facing the view port in their room.  She didn't turn around when Luke came in, nor did she say anything to him in response to his greeting.  He couldn't see her face, but her posture and the fact that she was silent told him what her expression was probably like.  He approached her at an angle so her could see her face and discovered that she wasn't angry, but looked on the verge of tears.

"Love, what is it?" Luke asked, closing the remaining distance between them in two swift steps.  She tried to turn away but Luke put his arm around her shoulder and turned her back.

She closed her eyes for a second and moved closer to him, letting her head tip forward.  Luke kissed her forehead and then used his finger to tilt her face up to his.  "I'm scared, Luke.  I'm so very scared."

"Mara, you don't have to be . . ." Luke said, compassion entering his voice and softening his eyes.

"I know.  I know you can take care of yourself," Mara said, taking a step back and shaking her head as if reprimanding her self.  "But . . . you're right.  Cilghal is right.  Everyone is right.  I can't help you anymore, and that's what scares me.  You're going to get into trouble and I'm not going to be able to help you," she admitted harshly.

Luke let his hands rub up and down her arms and bobbed his head down to catch her eye.  "You can always help me.  You can help me by being here, making sure things go smoothly so I'm not worrying about that while I should be worrying about something else.  You can give me something to go after.  To live for, to fight for.  You can still tell me when I'm doing something stupid, no physical change will ever impede your ability to be able to do that; there will always be amble opportunity to do it."

Mara gave a little laugh and stepped away from his arms to sit on the couch.  "That's great, Luke, and I guess it helps a bit to have that confirmed.  But . . . that's not really what's scaring me so much."

"Then what?" Luke asked, sitting in a chair across from her.

"I'm scared . . ." Mara paused and recollected her thoughts.  "I'm scared we're going to get into a situation where you're in trouble, and I'm the only one who can help you.  I'm scared I'll have to choose between you and our babies. I don't ever want to have to do that, Luke."

Luke shook his head and knelt in front of her, taking her head in his hands and kissed her forehead.  "You're too smart to get into a situation like that."

"No I'm not!" Mara exclaimed, her hands, suddenly clenched into fists, striking Luke on the chest enough to rock him back on his heals.  "If I was smart enough to keep me and everyone else I love out of bad situations I would!" she added fiercely.  She was silent for a second and then she gave a harsh laugh of self-deprecation.  "Stars! Listen to me!  I'm obsessing.  And blathering.  I hate blatherers and now I am one."  She glanced at Luke and saw him compress his lips, wanting to say something but gallantly suppressing it and a smile.  "If you say it's the hormones, I'll kill you."

"Alright," Luke said and then said nothing.

Mara grabbed a pillow off the couch and whacked him in the arm as hard as she could, knocking him over.  "Luke, be serious!"

"I'm trying," Luke said with a chuckle as he righted himself again.  "Look, love, I'm never going to put you in that kind of position.  Just help me with this war so we can get it over with quickly and be on our way."

Mara starred at him quietly for a moment and then said softly, "I don't think it's going to be that easy."

"I didn't say it would be easy, but I know we can do it.  The Force _is with us," Luke said with unwavering conviction._

"Yes, that much is evident," Mara said, her eyes starring off as she took a light feel of the Force.  Then something occurred to her.  "Luke, you just called this a war.  I thought you said it hadn't escalated to that yet."

Luke smiled but this time there was no answering humor in his eyes, only sadness, "I knew this would lead to war on K'ti'ma.  It's already claimed lives, if not directly."

"I suppose you're right," Mara muttered, remembering the casualty list from Tatooine, their escape from _Cragon's Pride, not to mention the Battle of the Wills.  "Then you'd better go and prepare for this battle.  It wouldn't do for you to get yourself killed before the real fighting starts."_

"You coming with me?" Luke asked, rising and grinning, she would have guessed he would come after her before they were even finished the planning session.

Mara glanced up at him with a twinkle in her eye.  "Sure, someone's got to tell you where all the mistakes are."

————————————

Undally IV had a sprawling landscape of grassy fields that ebbed and swelled as far as the eye could see.  Every once in a while a cluster of trees would add a dark splotch to the lighter green expanse.  As one traveled from the large western ocean, the clusters became larger and more numerous until the land was carpeted in a grand forest.  The delicate trees branches reached to the heavens as if in reverence to the beautiful shades of sky overhead.  The forest floor was mossy and smelled of moist earth.  Ferns added texture to the ground and a fine morning mist lighted on the greenery, trapped by the trees' overly abundant leaves.

Their party crept through the forest to where Streen's sensor readings indicated the base was probably located.  Luke was in the lead, followed by Kyp, Harsa, Cilghal, Kam and Cyan.  They moved with stealth bestowed only on those gifted with the Force.  They reached the peak of one of the rolling hills without apparent detection.  Before they crossed over the crest, Luke gave Cyan a silent signal and the dragon came forward to a tree that stood out as thicker than the rest.  He jumped into it, getting a third of the way up with his initial leap.  Then he climbed the rest of the way with ease born of familiarity.  Trees were common terrain for the Dragons of K'ti'ma.  When he had climbed as high as the spindly branches would hold him, Cyan surveyed the area.

What he found was a whole lot of trees.  Cyan frowned.  According to Streen's findings, the base should be right at the bottom of the hill.  Cyan arched his head around, trying to find a better view.  Then he saw it, a building with people milling around it.  He smiled—next hill over.  Some Jedi.

He jumped out of the tree to land with surprising lightness on the moist earth.  They started off again, but even more cautiously now that they knew there were Cragon waiting for them outside.  Soon they discovered that their fears weren't quite so accurate.

It was mostly children.  Many, many children played around the understated building.  They seemed to have been divided by age, with several years grouped together.  Every once in a while an older child or an adult could be seen watching over them, settling disputes and keeping order.  The children were not a rowdy bunch, they were quiet, and even those playing a game of soccer did it with minimal excitement.  As they approached, Cyan had the impression that all the children treated play as a serious chore.

Cyan could feel his _padmiri's anxiety as he desperately searched the ranks of children for his son.  However they were still far enough away that one boy could easily be lost in the multitude.  Cyan squinted, hoping his stronger eyesight might reveal where Ben was._

They were at the top of the hill now and there they paused, fearful of tripping an alarm that would warn the Cragon of their approach.  "You go ahead, Cyan," Luke whispered to his dragon out loud, more for the benefit of their comrades than to actually tell Cyan anything since he already knew Luke's intentions.  "See if you can spot anything that might give us trouble."

Cyan nodded silent acceptance, moving forward swiftly now that he wasn't burdened by worry of the others following him.  He crept forward close to the ground, often managing to duck his mass under the ferns and other shrubbery that sprouted around him.  He left the faintest of footprints, gently flapping his wings to carry him over the softer, more malleable earth.  His eyes were everywhere, trying to spot possible locations for traps or alarms.  He found nothing, which only increased his unease.

He was bare metres from the playground now.  He hid in the shadow of the tree with ferns draped over his head and body.  Had someone been looking specifically for him, they would have seen him, but no one there even knew he existed let alone were searching for him.  Except for one.

He stood out like a white lily in a bed of violets.  Ben played with only one other girl, though he had stopped and was starring directly at Cyan.  The dragon froze, thinking he had put himself too much in the open.  Then Ben smiled at him, shook his head, and kept playing.  Cyan frowned, feeling Luke's relief that Ben was there and his confusion over his son's gesture.  It didn't bode well, he thought; it wasn't about Cyan it was about all of them being there.

Cyan shrugged—it was a moot point now.  The others were making their way down, following the same path he had.  He heard a muffled snap behind him and cringed, but none of the Cragon noticed.  Luke came up beside him and touched his shoulder, but the Jedi had eyes only for the pale boy playing with the little girl.  Suddenly there was a soft gasp from one of the others.  Cyan glanced back and saw Harsa's eyes fix on the girl.

"Wisp," he whispered gently, as if fearful that saying her name too loud would make her disappear.

Cyan wrinkled his brow in mild amazement; the two had managed to stay together all this time?  It gave something to the Cragon's reverence of children.  He turned his attention back to Luke and waited for him to decide what to do.  The original plan had been in infiltrate the building, but seeing as Ben was right in front of them, there wasn't much use in that.  Now the trick came with getting him, and Wisp as well if they could, off the playground without the monitors noticing.

Luke stretched out and got a feel for Ben's mental state; the boy was calm and acceptant, though sad.  Luke frowned but then moved on—they would be discovered eventually.  He tried to project the image of Ben and Wisp going into the woods but Ben rejected it almost violently and then jerked around to stare at something.  Cyan followed his gaze and felt his heart almost stop.  Several children, all apparently Ben's age, were coming their way, eyes trained on the hiding spot.  Not only that, but all of them seemed to be using the Force.

"Sith spawn!" Luke hissed, motioning for them to draw back.  Too late, the children knew they were there.  It was going to be a long walk back to the shuttle.

"Wait!" Ben called, suddenly jumping to his feet.  "No in woods!"

The boy in the lead, a brawny lad of darker complexion then the rest, turned and sneered at him.  "Who stupid now?  Big great Da not so great, huh?"

"Da's not there.  Doesn't know I here.  Bigger ships would scare him out," Ben lied quickly and easily.  "You just wanna play in woods.  I'm tellin'."

The lead boy laughed.  "Tell, go head.  We get Jedi, _Ketchi be happy with us.  Pay attention to us for change."_

"What's going on over here?" an adult asked, striding over to stand in the middle of the confrontation.  She was a slender woman and all the children looked at her with respect, if in some cases grudging.  "Hishi?  Are you trying to go into the woods again?"

Hishi shook his head firmly.  "Nah-uh!  There people in woods.  They try make Ben leave."

"Nah-uh!" Ben said, running over and grabbing the lady by the hem of her dress.  "Please, Quesha!  No people in woods.  I didn't do bad.  No one there.  Hishi just wants play where he's not 'spose to."

Quesha looked down at Ben in surprise, caught off guard by the desperation in his voice.  She looked at the other boy a little uncertainly, "Hishi—"

"There are people there!" Hishi cried.  "There are, there are!  Heard them in the Force.  You always listen to Ben.  But I'm right, I'm right!"  With that Hishi charged for the forest directly at the small group of Jedi.

It would be less then a second before the boy reached them, and what he planned to do once there was a mystery to Cyan.  In that split second, several things ran in quick succession through the dragon's mind.  They would be seen, there would be a fight, and their getting away depended greatly on how much they could catch their adversaries unaware.

With that in mind Cyan burst out of the ferns with a frightening shriek and snapped at Hishi as if intent on devouring him.  Hishi screamed and scrambled to stop as Cyan's jaws snapped perilously close to his legs.  Cyan purposely let Hishi get out of the way though he pretended to chaise him. Within seconds the entire playground had erupted into screams as the children ran for the safety of the building.  The monitors called for the guards, though they themselves were horribly terrified of the vicious creature attacking them.  Luke followed Cyan out without hesitation and grabbed Ben while the dragon was still in front of him.  He tossed his son into Cyan's saddle when he circled back and plucked Wisp up from where she had froze in the dirt.  He vaulted into the saddle and dug his heels in; a useless signal for Cyan was already tearing for the trees.  They had just reached the forest again when a flurry of stun bolts rained down on them.

Kyp, Cilghal and Kam closed in behind them and ignited their lightsabers, deflecting the bolts back at the soldiers that had just emerged from the building.  Harsa ducked behind one of the willowy trees and started carefully picking off soldiers in between vehement return fire.  Cyan cantered to the top of the hill and ducked down behind it.  Luke and the children jumped off and waited for the others to slowly drop back.  There was a strong sense of urgency in the air, more so then Luke normally felt in a firefight.  They had limited time to get out of there.  

Harsa was the first over the hill.  He scooped up Wisp and hugged her as hard as he could.

"Da!" Wisp squealed in delight.

"My angel," Harsa whispered, "my little angel!"

Luke smiled, his own hand holding Ben's smaller one fast.  "Go to the shuttle, we'll follow.  I have to wait for the others."

"Alright," Harsa agreed though a bit unwillingly, feeling as though he was abandoning them.

Luke shook his head to push those thoughts from the Chiss's mind.  "Go, quickly."

Harsa nodded and slipped down the hill, keeping a sharp eye out to spot any officers that might be hiding in the woods.  Luke watched him leave for a moment when Kyp jumped over the hill.

"Master, you should take Ben back to the ship," Kyp said, glancing over his shoulder.

"We will," Luke assured him, "just as soon as the others catch up."

"_I'll wait for them, Luke," Cyan said firmly, nudging his __padmiri with his snout.  "Take Kyp with you and get to safety.  Ben's probably seen enough of this."_

"But—"

Cyan growled impatiently.  "Look, I can look after them just as well or better then you so don't worry.  Now get moving, Mara will have my hide if either of you gets hurt."

"Bloody, disobedient dragons," Luke muttered, scooting down the hill with Kyp in toe and Ben in his arms.

They'd made it to a small river that cut through the forest by the time any Cragon managed to catch up.  They were jogging at a steady pace when Ben suddenly cried out and squirmed so suddenly in Luke's arms that the Jedi lost his balance and tumbled into the shallow stream.  Before Luke could get up he heard the wine of a blaster bolt followed by a grunt of pain that was quickly cut off.  There was another splash of water beside him as Luke scrambled back to his feet, holding Ben close to his chest and igniting his lightsaber.  He glanced over and saw Kyp getting to his feet a little slower then he should have but before Luke could ask if anything was wrong Kyp was pulling him towards the minimal cover to the bushes beside the stream.  They scrambled along the thorn-clogged bank until they reached a bend in the river and the shots had stopped.  They were all cut and bleeding, their clothes torn by the brambles, and they were dripping with water.  Luke glanced over and saw Kyp press his palm against his stomach and blood dribble down.

"Kyp, you're injured," Luke said, pushing his tired body away from the tree he was leaning on to get a better look.

"It's all right, it's just a flesh wound," Kyp said, dismissing his Master's concern with a gesture though his face was pale and he kept his hand pressed against his abdomen.  He glanced at Luke and then grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled them both behind the tree as more blaster bolts fell upon them.  "We've got to get out of here, quick.  Where are the others?  They should have caught up by now."

Luke shook his head.  "Cyan say's they got cut off and they're taking another route.  They're going to try and draw off our pursuit but obviously they weren't successful."

"Or these are the patrols we managed to evade," Kyp added.  "Alright, we go this way."

The stream forked in two different directions and Kyp lead them down the one with the banks rising steeply on each side, staying in the dense foliage that bordered the water.  Luke glanced at the sides and thought how much it reminded him of the trench on the first Death Star and realized that didn't bode well for them since they were the targets.

When it looked as if they had managed to distance themselves from the Cragon again Kyp lead them out of the bushes into the stream where they could travel more quickly.  They reached another fork and just in time Luke felt the subtle warning.  Now it was his turn to grab Kyp and drag him down the narrow passage into a high rock face.  Ben cried out and threw his arms tightly around Luke's neck at the sudden change in direction.  The scream of blaster bolts echoed eerily off the walls as they ran down the miniature canyon.  It seemed they might lose the Cragon again when they were forced to stop.

There before them rose a magnificent waterfall that cascaded over the tan rock.  "It's pretty," Kyp conceded, "but I'd really rather it wasn't there right now."

"I agree.  I guess we'll have to climb there," Luke said, pointing to a steep rock fall a few metres to the side of the waterfall.  It would be a tough go of it, but Luke was sure they could make it; there really was no discussing the matter.  He started forward and realized Ben's hold on his neck was starting to constrict his breathing.  "Ben, it's all right.  We'll be fine, but Da's gotta breath to be able to get us out of here."

"Don't wanna look," Ben muttered into his shoulder.

Luke frowned and then thought he understood.  "Don't worry about that, Ben.  It's not that high and I won't drop you."

"Not that," Ben said as Luke started his way up, "them."

Luke glanced behind him and heard the splash of heavily booted feet sloshing through the stream.  "C'mon, we've got to hurry.  Maybe they won't shoot us on the way up if they know we have Ben."

"Maybe," Kyp said quietly, though he didn't follow immediately when Luke started climbing again.  He knew that if they were going to make it every second counted but something stayed him.  Forcing his doubts out of his mind he reached his arm up and then hissed in pain, the movement stretching out the burned hole in his waist.  The flash of pain was momentary but it was enough for him to lose his grip on the mist-dampened rock.  He fell backwards and cracked his head on a stone, water rushing to cover his face.  It the scrambling confusion as he tried to get up he thought he saw he and Luke with Ben climbing the cliff and blaster bolts picking them off one by one and their limp bodies falling into the water, the Cragon more worried about them betraying the base's location then in saving Ben.

When Kyp finally got to his feet again Luke was starting to climb down to get him.  Kyp could feel the Cragon coming; they had but seconds to do something else.  He looked at Ben, his face pressed against Luke's shoulder.  He knew what was going to happen.

Luke could see the extent of the wound in Kyp's abdomen now and his eyes widened.  "Kyp!  Are you all right?  I'm coming!"

"No!" Kyp said, drawing his lightsaber and stepping away from the cliff, ignoring the searing pain in his stomach, the throbbing of his head.  None of that matter anymore.  "Keep going, I've got an idea."

Luke watched Kyp run back the way they'd just come and realized his intent.  "What?  No!  Damn it, Kyp!  No!"

Luke stayed where he was in indecision when the sound of men crying out and the shriek of a lightsaber cutting through the air drifted back to him.  Suddenly Ben whimpered.  Luke looked down at Ben's tear streaked face turned after the departed Jedi.  Cursing loudly and vehemently Luke started climbing again as fast as he could.

Kyp had no doubt how this fight would end.  Perhaps if he had stayed with his previous mentality he could have thrust the Cragon soldier out of the way with a flick of his hand.  Something told him he never would have gotten the warning just now had he done that.  So be it.

Kyp waded in to the fray and sent a silent, heart felt thanks to his teacher.

Luke reached the top of the cliff and gently untangled Ben's fingers from their grip around his neck.  He put his son on the grassy ground and looked back over the cliff with the half-formed idea of going back.  He took a step toward the overhang but was stopped when he heard an inarticulate scream behind him.  He turned and looked down just as Ben flung himself bodily around Luke's leg.

"No, no, no!  Don't go back!  Can't lose you 'gain!" Ben screamed.  Luke bent down to sooth his son when suddenly he felt Kyp's brief touch.

_. . . Thank you . . ._

Luke gasped and stumbled to the ground as he felt Kyp's Life Force leave this plain of existence.  He stayed on the ground, his eyes unfocused as he tried to hold on to Kyp's presence.  He was brought back when he felt Ben's arms hugging his neck again.

"Don't go, Da.  It's too late.  Too late when you came," Ben whispered desperately, hold his father close.

Luke blinked unashamed tears from his eyes and wrapped his arms around his boy.  "Don't worry, Ben.  I know . . . I knew."

Luke and Ben moved as quickly at they could through the trees without making noise.  Their pursuers were slow to follow them, giving Luke hope that they either thought Kyp was the only one, or they didn't know which direction he'd gone in.  Either way, they were hidden for now and he had no intention of giving their position.  After traveling for a little while Ben insisted on walking so Luke put him down.  The boy stayed close to his father, occasionally bumping into Luke's legs when he would pause.

Luke could sense the others' presence getting closer so he picked up the pace a little.  They seemed to be in a state of watchful relaxation so he guessed the area was clear.  It was hard to tell though; except for Harsa Luke had little experience in locating Chiss.

"Da?" Ben whispered, tugging on Luke's pant leg.

"What?"

Ben looked around, his little brow wrinkling.  "There's others here."

"I know, our friends are near," Luke told him.

Ben shook his head.  "Not them.  Others."

Luke stretched out and after some concentrated searching found it.  Not a recognizable presence, but a malevolence heading towards him.  Sighing, Luke picked Ben up and put him on his shoulders and started jogging.  Whoever it was knew where they were.

The need for secrecy gone, they made great time.  Ben stayed still and his light body was nothing for his father to support.  _It kind of feels like Yoda, Luke thought, forcing down a smile that seemed rather inappropriate at such a time.  He searched for the malevolence, trying to gauge where it was coming from._

A flash of insight and he jumped to the side, pivoting on his right leg, drawing his lightsaber and sweeping it to the left to pick off two blaster bolts in one elegant movement.  He heard someone cry out and a wet thud as their body hit the moist earth.  A rustling of the bushes back in the direction he was heading was his only warning of the next shot.  He brought his lightsaber up and then his danger sense screamed from behind him.  He tried backing up to put both adversaries in front of him but he hit a tree and there was no time to do anything else.  He turned his lightsaber to the rear, hoping to at least protect Ben.

Suddenly the Cragon in front of him let out a gurgle of pain and then was bodily thrown out of the bushes by Cyan.  The dragon followed him out and pounced on his body, an audible crack sounding as Cyan's great mass snapped the man's spine.  Luke turned to face his rear completely but Kam had already sliced that soldier's blaster in two and Cilghal smashed the hilt of her lightsaber across his face, dropping him to the ground.

Luke breathed a sigh of relief and motioned with his hand.  "C'mon, we've got to get out of here, there'll be more coming."

Cilghal and Kam traded glances, though Luke knew they suspected.  "What about Kyp?" Cilghal asked.

"Kyp is one with the Force," was all Luke said, turning for the shuttle.

  


Chapter VIII

Mara paced back and forth on the bridge of the _Bairn of Hope, then sat down.  Then she got up, paced back and forth, then sat down again.  Then she got up—_

"Mara, stop!" Mirax said in exasperation.  "You're making me dizzy."  She and Corran were waiting with Mara on the bridge for the simple reason that Mara never felt comfortable chatting with junior students and all the senior ones that were left were mostly the ones that annoyed her.

"Sorry," Mara said through clenched teeth, sitting down firmly as if by hitting the chair as hard as she could she would be more likely to stay in it.  She stayed there for a second and then started tapping her foot impatiently.

Corran forced down a chuckle.  "Mara, that's really irritating—"

"Deal with it," Mara growled, abruptly standing again and striding over to the sensor station.  Corran threw Mirax a bemused grin and she squeezed his arm firmly to show she shared his response.

"Mara," Corran tried again, "you shouldn't be worried—"

"I'm not worried," Mara cut him off a little too quickly.  "Why should I be?  Luke knows what he's doing; he's been in worse situations.  And if something happens we're right on the edge of the system.  We can go get them in less than an hour."

"Right," Mirax said, carefully ignoring the fact that Mara was trying to rationalize things.  "So you've got nothing to worry about.  Now sit down before you upset the babies."

Mara shot Mirax a scathing glare but there was no power behind it.  She returned obediently to the captain's chair.  She was just about to sit when she was suddenly hit with a wave of grief, gratitude, and an overwhelming sense that a soul close to her had past Beyond.  She heard the distant sound of people crying out and thought her voice might be one of them.  The feeling lingered with muted melancholy, as if upset to have cause them so much pain.  When the feeling drained out of her Mara was slumped in her chair and most of the bridge staff was gasping for breath.

"What happened?" Ganner asked, his hand pressing against the left side of his chest as if something their pained him.

"Someone died," Mara murmured, the feeling all to familiar.  "Another Jedi."  Low mutterings started circulating around the bridge, rising in volume until someone voiced the question on everybody's mind.

"Who was it?" Kawlri asked.

Mara relaxed her body and reached out to the planet light years away from them.  She felt Luke; upset, but still alive and accompanied by a young soul she optimistically labeled as Ben.  Cyan was there and she caught a sense of Kam, Harsa and Cilghal around the dragon and another young soul.  Then Mara realized that Kyp was missing from the group and then she knew.

"It was Kyp," Mara said out loud.  Gasps and outraged mutterings punctuated her announcement as the news sank in.  Wurth and Ganner jumped out of their chairs in righteous anger.

"No," Ganner said firmly.  "I don't believe it.  It was probably Cilghal or—or Kam—"

Mara shook her head.  "Look for yourself.  Kyp has passed Beyond."

"We have to go in," Wurth decided. "He might not be dead.  We can help him."

Mara shook her head again.  "No.  He's gone, Wurth, and we all grieve for him.  But going in there will do nothing but put us in danger and possibly compromise those on the ground."  Mara took a deep breath to calm herself, the desire to rush to Luke and try and help almost overwhelming her as well.  "Much as I would like to go charging in, we can help them best by waiting."

In retrospect it was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, and she knew in her heart she could never do it again.  It was an hour and a half before they got back and it was the longest hour and a half she had ever endured.  When the slightly dinged shuttle reached the cargo bay, Mara ran to meet it; she didn't really remember if she'd given control of the bridge to anyone but she didn't care.  She was tired of waiting, of wondering what had happened, if the wave of grief that would mark Luke's passing would hit her soon.  The shuttle landed and it seemed to take forever for the ramp to start opening.  Before it could even touch the floor Luke was out of the shuttle and running to his wife.

Dignity forgotten Mara broke in a run as well and dashed into his warm embrace.  They stayed that way for a while and Mara was aware of the others watching them and she could hear people coming down the ramp.  Luke clung to her with frustration and anger at himself broiling below the surface, which she knew he would not show until they were alone.  When they finally separated Mara turned her eyes to the shuttle, a presence long unfelt but never forgotten waiting just beyond the threshold.

"It's all right, Ben," Luke called.  "You're home."

Ben peaked around the corner, his miss-matched eyes wide with wonder.  _Home?  The possibility that he might have one was something the boy had long ago stopped imagining.  A home was something mythical and fantastic . . . and yet here it was.  A whole ship full of people—though sad—who waited in breathless anticipation for a boy they'd never seen.  Wisp was in her Da's arms, taking everything in with unabashed enthusiasm and waving at her life-long friend energetically.  Then Ben's eyes were drawn to the couple not far from the ramp._

He saw his father, a face that was infinitely familiar though they had only known each other for such a brief time.  There next to his da was his mother, whom he had only seen once and yet knew with the connection only a mother and son could share.  She was staring at him with tears brimming in her eyes.  She slipped from her embrace with her husband and approached the shuttle but stopped at the base of the ramp as if realizing Ben wasn't ready to come out yet.  Ben looked very hard at her.  She was very pretty, and very strong.  When Ben looked at her he knew she would keep him safe no matter the cost.

He left the hatchway and started down the ramp.  Mara didn't move, letting him set the pace even though all she wanted to do was scoop her son up in her arms and never let go.  Ben stopped in front of her and Mara sensed that the time to embrace him wasn't quite here.  Ben put both his small hands on either side of her face and turned it from side to side as if checking something out.  He touched her belly and Mara felt a swift pang; what if he thought they were trying to replace him, or he didn't want to share parents he had just gotten back or—

Before another doubt could race through her mind Ben looked up and a smile split his face and brought sparkling life to his pale eyes.  He wrapped his small arms around her neck and Mara returned it as though she sought to attach him to her forever, and she might just have been trying to do that.

Mara stood and spun and she heard the wonderful, magical sound of Ben giggle.  Soon Luke joined them and the rest of the Jedi broke into a resounding cheer.  Their grief for their fallen comrade was great, but all knew he would be upset if his passing would deny them the joy of rejoicing in such a reunion.  Luke was laughing, and Mara was laughing and Ben was gazing around with a tiny smile as if he didn't know how to take so much joy in but was determined to try anyway.

"Mum?" Ben asked shyly, touching her nose with a chubby finger.

"Mum!" Mara confirmed laughing in an almost giddy manner and for once not caring.  She'd never been so happy with any other being beside Luke.  The two lives growing in her belly were squirming and kicking, not knowing what the cause for joy was but they joined in anyway.

D E V I D E D  W E  F A L L 

Chapter IX

"So how long have they been in there?" Corran asked as he and Harsa sat at a table in the mess hall, eating their bland lunch of Valgo fruit.

"I saw him leave their apartment with Cyan at 08:00 and it's about 17:00 now," Harsa told him.  "Which means Luke's been working for nine hours.  I wonder what he's been doing that's taking so long?  You'd think he'd still be spending time with Ben," he added, watching the pale boy playing with Olive and Wisp while Valin, being the oldest one there, supervised.

Corran shrugged.  "He did just take three days off and let's face it, there has been a lot of restructuring needed after Kyp died.  Not to trivialize his death but we need to keep moving."

"We also need to find out what direction we will take from here.  Remember, the idea was to get Ben and gather information," Harsa pointed out.  "But . . . I think there is a few select Jedi who would like to take a more direct approach."

"No kidding.  I don't know how I'm going to deal with Ganner, especially since Luke's still making him come to the base we're setting up."  Corran sighed and then added after a thoughtful pause, "You know, Luke's mad at himself for letting Kyp get himself killed."

Harsa nodded.  "It would be like him, I think.  But he didn't have a choice.  They couldn't have all survived.  It is a decision that sometimes has to be made.  To berate himself for not stopping Kyp diminishes the sacrifice he made."

"I don't think that's how Luke's looking at it right now."

"No," Harsa conceded, "probably not."  He glanced down the long central table to the opposite end where Ganner, Miko, Wurth and the rest of their group sat talking in low heated tones.  Suddenly Wurth slammed his hand down on the table and stabbed an accusing finger at Miko.

" . . . Listen to you!  You sound just like them!" Wurth exclaimed.

Miko blew air out through his teeth; even his reserve manner was being tested by Wurth's attitude.  "Why don't you try listening to yourself for a change.  Brain washing?  I don't think you can even do that with the Force!  And if so, that's not even the kind of power Master Skywalker is best at.  And it's even more ridiculous to suggest that he would even do it!"

"He's gotten to you too, hasn't he," Wurth said and even though Corran couldn't see him he could hear the slight tremor of unsteadiness in his voice.  "You all treat him like he's this omniscient person!  But I know!  I've figured it out.  He isn't even bothering to hide it now that he's got you all fooled.  Kyp dies for him and what does he do?  Spend three days on vacation—"

"Vacation?" Corran exclaimed, no longer able to stay out of the argument.  "It wasn't a vacation you sorry excuse for Hutt spit!  His son has been separated from him for over two years!  I think he's allowed to spend some time with him.  And you know Kyp would have wanted him too.  It's what he died for in fact and I think that's what's pissing you off so much."

"Kyp died because Master Skywalker blinded him to the truth—"

"Master Skywalker showed him the truth!" Miko growled.  "You're just jealous that he thinks your not experienced enough to go through what Kyp and the other _advanced students did.  Boo hoo, you're not the best Jedi in the academy.  You ever think it's because you think you are that Master Skywalker doesn't think you're ready?"_

"Hear, hear!" Corran cheered him on, banging the flat of his hand against the table in support.  It was rare to hear Miko so riled up, and rarer still to see him going against the tightly knit group.  Not that Corran was about to complain.

Ganner snorted.  "I hate to say this, Wurth, but I'm gonna hafta go with Miko and Blind Boy Wonder over there.  Brain washing is a little extreme even for you."

"So that's it then?" Wurth asked, looking around to see if he had anyone on his side.  His dower expression became even darker when he saw that he didn't.  "Fine, I don't need you, any of you.  Everyone keeps pretending the Force is with us because we're following him.  But I know the real reason why.  I think Master Skywalker wants to follow in daddy's footsteps."

"No, no, NO!"

Corran's breath caught guiltily in his through—they'd forgotten about Ben.

He walked forward swiftly and with surprising authority.  He strode over to Wurth and glared at him with his slightly unsettling miss-matched eyes.  "You no know anything," Ben told him firmly and yet he had excellent control over the anger all were sure was just waiting to be expressed.  "My da told you what he saw but you no listen'd.  That why you no be there when end comes."

"Listen, kiddo," Wurth said soothingly, kneeling in front of Ben and ruffling the boy's hair.  Ben pulled back and kept his cold eyes on the older Jedi.  Wurth shook off the slight chill the gaze brought and continued, "I know you're little and this is hard for you to hear about you dad but making stuff like that up ain't gonna change things.  Now, if you practice really hard and grow really strong in the Force like me and my friends, then—"

"_Wurth!" Corran snarled, not bothering to restrain his indignation._

Wurth rolled his eyes at the former Jedi.  "Stow it, Corran.  I'm showing him the light."

"No, you are causing dissent."

Everyone turned to the entryway where Luke stood with Cyan's imposing figure behind him.  Luke's face looked a little haggard but that was belayed by the coldness in his eyes that matched his son's so well.  He took a few more steps in and let his gaze sweep around the room, assessing the mood.  Ben ran to his father and Luke bent down and whispered something in his ear.  Ben nodded grudgingly and then went to sit with Wisp, Valin and Olive again.  Luke walked up to Wurth and compressed his lips when the younger Jedi tensed up as if he was about to attack him.

"Either we're going to have to make a compromise, or you're going to have to get over this," Luke said evenly without a hint of malice in his voice.

"Or what?"

Luke sighed deeply.  "You're on the brink, Wurth.  You're exactly where I warned you you'd go."

"To great power," Wurth said with a sneer.

Luke shook his head.  "I bet that's how my father felt when he still thought he could help the galaxy by succumbing to the dark side."

Wurth snorted in derision.  "Nice way to rationalize."

"It's not rationalizing, it's the truth.  Everything I've seen points me to that.  Even when he was trying to tempt me over to the dark side he showed that all he wanted to do was bring order to the galaxy.  Hell, it's what the Emperor wanted, even if it was order under his rule."

"Yeah?" Wurth said, the sneer curling his lip.  "Nice job he did.  But you know what?  He's still better then you."

"Oh, I've gotta hear this," Cyan remarked

Wurth did a bad job of forcing down the curl in his lip before explaining, "At least he did something.  You yourself said that inaction is the worst crime of all."

Luke raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed.  "Wow, I never realized my teachings could be twisted so completely before.  I guess I haven't been making myself as clear as I thought."

"I thought you were clear," Miko muttered under his breath.

"Shut up, Miko," Wurth told him tersely.  "You're not helping."

Miko rolled his eyes.  "No, _you're not helping!  You sound like an idiot!"_

Wurth's eyes widened in outrage.  "I do not!"

"Children!" Luke called out loudly as Cyan growled to back up the exclamation.  "If you can't play nice then don't play at all."

"Don't trivialize this, Master Skywalker—"

"I'm not," Luke told Wurth.  "But tempers are getting too hot.  Things will be said that aren't meant to be said and they could do great harm.  This will divide us if we are not careful and I have no intention of being divided."

Wurth planted his hands on his hips and tilted his head at that jaunty angle that in it self was enough to irritate people.  "Then prove me wrong."

"Fine," Luke said with a shrug.  "I guess this is just as good a place as any to make the announcement.  Considering the speed of the gossip mill around here the whole ship will know before I've finished talking."

"What is it, Luke?" Corran asked.

Luke was silent for a second, collecting his thoughts.  "If we are to move forward, we must do so with open eyes.  Thanks to Harsa we know much more about the Cragon that we didn't know before.  But even he admits much of their history has been corrupted by the Cragon's hatred of the Jedi.  So I have contacted Bastion and gotten the location of the Chiss home world where those Chiss who are not Cragon live.  There I hope to find more information so that we can understand the Cragon and defend ourselves better against them, maybe even figure out what their ultimate plan is."

"That's it?" Wurth demanded.  "We're just going to go visit some of their relatives?  We're not even going to make a retaliation strike?  They killed one of our own—"

"We struck them first," Cyan said simply.

"We made the offensive and they struck back.  Besides, Undally has proven far to formidable for us to hit without a great amount of planning and right now I can think of more productive things to do with out time," Luke explained.

Wurth was starring at Luke in utter disbelief.  "So that's it?  Kyp's gone, and that's it.  'Good by!  Nice to know ya but we've gotta go sight seeing in the sticks of the galaxy.'  What a nice way to honor him."

"This isn't about vengeance—"

"Then what the hell is it about?" Wurth demanded.  "They're attacking us because we beat the crap out of them twenty five thousand years ago.  We're attacking them 'cause they took your son and Corran's sight—"

"That's not quite how this has worked," Harsa spoke up, frowning at Wurth.

Wurth didn't even try and restrain the curl in his lip when he turned his angry gaze on Harsa.  "Well, it's how it should.  We are Jedi.  We have the power of the universe behind us.  We can get rid of them once and for all so this circle you talked about never happens again.  And maybe that's why it keeps happening.  The Jedi weren't strong enough or they were afraid to use the power we have.  But we _can, Master Skywalker," Wurth said, stepping forward and gripping Luke's arms, a feverish gleam lighting in his eyes.  Luke felt a deep sense of alarm when he saw the flush of excitement in Wurth's face.  "We can destroy them forever."_

"Wurth," Luke said evenly, calmly.  "I think you need some rest—"

"NO!" Wurth cried, shoving Luke back.  He looked around again but everyone was gazing at him with expressions of doubt or worry.  "You think I'm crazy!  But I'm not!  I know I'm right!  How can so much power be wrong?"

Luke placed his hand on Wurth's shoulder and the younger Jedi twisted around to face him so fast he knocked Luke's arm off.  Luke injected as much calm into his voice as he could, "Wurth, sometimes the power itself is wrong."

"No, Master Skywalker," Wurth said savagely, "you're wrong.  If you won't fight them, then I will!"  And with that he stormed out of the mess hall.

"Wurth!" Ganner snarled, rising to go after him.

"Leave him," Luke said, his expression sorrowful.  "Wurth is to walk a different path than us."

Mara was walking to the mess after a quick summons from Cyan when Wurth came storming out.  She saw the flushed pitch of his skin and stopped, realizing the anger brewing in the young Jedi.

"Hey, Wurth," Mara said, purposely stepping into his path.  Wurth stopped and glared at her but he didn't dare push her to the side.  Since her pregnancy had become so obvious it was as if the other Jedi were afraid to touch her least she break.  "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving," Wurth said, trying to slip past her but Mara stayed with him.

"Where?"

"The Force will take me there."

Mara smiled knowingly.  "Wow, and that's great, Wurth, really.  It's a fun way to travel sometimes, though you don't always end up where you think you should be, but, um, why ya going?  We're kinda busy 'round here these days and we were hoping people could hold off the vacations for just a bit."

"Get out of my way, Master Jade-Skywalker," Wurth snarled.  "I'm tired of all of this passive procrastination, especially from _you.  I thought you would get these people off their asses but if anything you made them worse."_

"Really?" Mara asked, raising an eyebrow, her good humor evaporating.

Wurth took a quick step to the side and slid past her.  "Look, I'm not getting the same lecture from you that I've gotten from everyone else on this damn ship.  Master Skywalker keeps saying we have to figure out where were going when I think it's pretty obvious."

Mara waited until he was almost out of ear shot before she called, "You know, you always sound like you're trying to convince yourself of that when you're making the point to other people.  It really doesn't help your case at all."

Turning, Mara proceeded into the mess hall and saw Luke standing by the main table with everyone looking at him oddly.

"Why do you say that?" Ganner was demanding as Mara entered.

"Say what?" Mara asked.

Luke gave her a brief smile but it was clear his mind was in deep thought.  "That Wurth is not to walk the same path as us.  I'm…not really sure why I said it.  It just seemed like the appropriate thing to say at the time."

"That's rather disturbing, Master," Miko commented.

"I know," Luke said softly.  He sighed deeply and then collected himself.  "I know, but we must move foreword.  Wurth will come back if he chooses, but in the meantime we have to prepare for our trip."

  


Chapter X

The Great Hall of Counmung'tak was grand, arching above the floor a full three stories.  Round marble pillars supported its great height, and upon them were etched tales of the Chiss' journey to their new world.  The writing was in an ancient dialect only the most studious and advanced scholars could read.  Runes framed the golden glass pains that filled the last story before the ceiling.  If one let their eye continue upward they would see a stunning painting depicting, in an interpretive way, the migration of their people to Cragshall.   The golden tan of the delicate tiling on the walls worked its way down in mysterious patterns to the green marble floor, warmed by the sunlight streaming through the windowpanes.

Luke strode down the Great Hall as if he owned it, dressed in old style Jedi robes of dirty white and dark brown.  Cyan—dressed in full tack right down to the silver trimmed bridle—walked with smooth lethalness with his nose almost touching his _padmiri's right shoulder.  Mara walked to his left and just a step behind, calling on all of her years spent in the Imperial court to underplay the weakness commonly associated with someone in her delicate condition.  A flowing green dress fluttered around her legs and a darker green cloak fell in defined ripples over her shoulders.  Behind them were Corran and Olive, the small emerald dragon outfitted with an ornate harness that Corran could hold on to, looking more like he was restraining Olive rather then being lead by him.  _

They reached two massive doors at the end of the Grand Hall where two ceremonial Chiss guards stood in front of a pair of oversized doors.  Luke came to a stop several metres away and held up his hand to signal the others to stay where they were.  He walked up to the guards and pulled a slender ivory case from his robes and handed it to the one on his right.  The guard eyed Cyan, who was an impressive sight as he tossed his head, jingling tack and scales.  The guard let his eyes turn back to Luke without any sign of emotion but Luke picked up a slight flutter of fear in the force.  The guard popped the case open and removed the parchment.  Giving it a cursory glance he handed it back to Luke and gestured to the other guard.  Both of them took a step towards the doors and swung them open.

Luke walked forward without hesitation as they entered a massive chamber.  Everything in there was covered in careful combinations of green and gold.  The floor and walls were decorated in swirling patterns of emerald and forest green with golden inlays and shimmering fabrics draped from the skylights in flowing inverted arches.  Before them was a long stretch of golden rug framed by darkly stained wooden pews filled with high-ranking Chiss all turned toward them.  At the very opposite end of the room from the group of Jedi was a raised dais.  Upon it was a long wooden table with three men and two women seated on three sides of the table with the one closest to their audience empty.  All of the people at the table looked to be in their middle age or older.  The man in the middle wore a sash decorated with numerous medals and awards and a badge across his left breast that seemed to indicate his superior status over all others in the room.  He was easily in his ninth decade and it was he who stood to address them as Luke made his way uninvited down the lush rug before him.

"Jedi!  Long has it been since your kind has set foot on our world.  Please, forgo the formality of your approach," he added with a warm smile.  He sat and beckoned them forward with a gnarled hand.  "Your ancestors helped us settle this new world.  We welcome you as friends."

Mara could sense Luke relax and saw it in the subtle way his shoulders dropped slightly and his eyes warmed with a sort of remembered camaraderie.  Cyan settled his wings on his back and Mara gratefully dropped the clipped walk of an Imperial lady and spread her legs to better distribute the weight of her growing girth.  Corran didn't react much at all though Olive decided the man's warm greeting gave him leave to look around the room in wide-eyed wonder.

"Thank you," Luke said, speaking quietly, but subtly using the Force to project his voice around the room.  "Forgive the entrance, but your cousins have given us reason to be on guard."

The old man smiled and nodded gravely.  "The Cragon have that effect.  You need not worry here, though, Jedi.  Please, allow me to introduce my council and myself.  I am Val Fu Jagimalvishgi.   Too my right is Gor Si Youlagomi and Kaw Mi Fashimdegli.  On my left are Min Dx Halmosgoi and Qul Re Aarthologi.  And the rest of these people are representatives from all the other worlds in the Chiss and Chisgon territory come to witness this welcomed event."

"We are honored, Val Fu Jagimalvishgi," Luke said, bowing respectively before the old man and pronouncing the alien name carefully.  There seemed to be so much importance in names and enunciation with their language he was fearful of accidentally insulting them.  "Though I am afraid you catch me at a disadvantage, which leads to our purpose in coming.  Had I known the location of Chishall before, this reunion would have happened much sooner."

Val Fu Jagimalvishgi smiled knowingly.  "The activities of our brethren have not gone unnoticed, Master Jedi.  Thoughts of warning you of the Cragon's growing strength were put forth, but it has been so long since contact between the Core and our territory, we did not know if our presence would be welcomed of reviled.  But please, I know our names are foreign to you.  Call me Val if that is easier."

"My thanks," Luke said with a smile.  So much for that.  "Then call me Luke, or Master Skywalker if you prefer titles.  And though I agree that this is a long overdue event, I am afraid it has occurred under some urgent circumstances."

Val seemed to age a little and sank a bit deeper in his chair.  "We know, Master Skywalker.  Perhaps better then you."

"That is the clutch of why we came."

"Then no more time should be wasted," Val proclaimed, straightening with purpose that seemed to driving away the wariness that had momentarily overtaken him.  "We should speak and walk forward with open eyes."

——————————

"How long are they going to take?" Gor Si Youlagomi demanded in the refined language of the Chiss.  He and the other three members of Val Fu Jagimalvishgi's council waited with Luke's retinue in a spacious chamber with the same green tiling of the Grand Audience Chamber, though this one was accented in a rich royal purple with lush cushions and ancient wall hangings.

Min Dx Halmoshoi gave Gor a patient smile.  "They speak of matters of great importance.  If they did not take many hours to do so I would question the validity of these Jedi.  The All Times War sparks to life again.  We already knew it; this event was not unanticipated.  Val will consult with us when they are finished before any real decisions are made."

"Relax, Gor" Kaw Mi Fashimdegli told him dryly.  Unlike Gor and Min, she was not from Chishall and was not considered part of the core Chiss people.  She and Qul Re Aarthologi were from systems nearer to Cragon territory and were called Chisgon, to donate people who had left the Cragon Dynasty and joined the Chiss.  As a general rule Chisgon were seen as much more lax in tradition and mannerisms then both the Cragon and Chiss and it showed greatly in the way they governed and interacted with others.  "These are Jedi we are dealing with.  They don't do anything without careful consideration.  And if this Master Skywalker is who the scholars think he is, then our lives are in his hands no matter what."

Gor shrugged, unconvinced.  "That doesn't make me feel any better about this.  I mean, did you see the way he walked in here?  Acting like he owns the place?"

"How did you expect him to approach?" Min asked, amused at Gor's disgruntlement.  "He didn't know how we were going to act when he came.  And I would say his entrance reassured a great deal of the other senators that the Jedi had not fallen into disarray after the Purge like we had heard.  Considering what happened with Thrawn destroyed the—what did they call it?  Oh yes, the Out-Bound Flight Project just before he was exiled.  They certainly did not give him much trouble then."

"Perhaps, but that might just mean that these have all fallen to the Dark Side—"

Gor was interrupted by Qul's hearty laugh.  "Gor, you never cease to stop amusing me.  Come on, my friend, they travel with _two dragons.  Now," he added, patting Gor on the back reassuringly and then moving towards the other Jedi, "I believe we have been quite remiss in our duties as hosts."_

Mara was sitting on one of the lush couches when she saw the other councilors walking towards them.  She thought briefly about rising to meet them but her lower back was sore and her ankles were already starting to swell and getting up to do anything else besides go back to _Bairn of Hope and get a bath or foot rub from Luke was out of the question.  She did managed to get up out of her half slouch and gave Cyan a swift kick in the shoulder to wake him up from his nap._

"Hello," she said pleasantly, hoping the talk with them wouldn't last too long; pleasantness always made her mouth hurt after a while.

The one man in front of the group gave her a toothy smile that spoke of a gentle nature underneath.  "I must apologize for our un-hostly behavior!  Can we get you some wine or another refreshment?  Perhaps something to munch on while we wait?"

"No," Mara said, though the man's tone and cordial manner suddenly made being pleasant not so difficult a task—refreshingly enough he did not have the same phony ring she was used to hearing come out of politicians' mouths, "I think we're all alright."

The man, Mara tentatively remembered him as Qul, smiled as if this pleased him to no end, yet not in such an exaggerated way to make the gesture ring false.  "Good, then there is more time for talking.  I believe we should get to know each other, for as the representatives of our peoples, I would say we shall be spending much time together."

Mara looked at Qul silently for a moment with one eyebrow raised.  "Alright, but drop the formal conversation crap.  If you want an honest talk with me throw some slang in there or I ain't gonna enjoy speaking with you enough to be truthful."

"Watch it," Cyan warned, blinking lazily, "she can be 'truthful' enough to flay the hide off _my back."_

One of the female councilors burst out laughing.  "Oh, thank the All!  I group of diplomats _I can have a conversation with!"_

"Stop it Kaw, don't encourage such lax behavior," another councilor said, the severe lines of his face deepening in displeasure.  "These are important times and should not be taken lightly."

"On the contrary, Gor, I think a little levity is greatly needed right now," said Qul, dressed much the same as Gor though without the pompous baring that would go with the outfit.

Cyan grinned toothily, "Great, then I'm your man—er, or dragon as the case would be.  Just call me Mr. Levity."

"Fine, Mr. Levity," Mara said, leaning back and putting her feet on Cyan's back, "but I think Mr. Footrest is much more appropriate."

Kaw chuckled again and sat on the couch next to Mara but smacked Gor on the arm to get his attention, "Gee, Gor, why can't you be more like Mr. Footrest here?"

Cyan sighed dramatically, "You know, I think if everyone was like me—Mr. _Levity, please, if you would—the universe would be a better place."_

"Enough of this!" Gor snapped.  "This is irrelevant chatter—"

"Good!" Kaw cut him off.  "I'm tired of the relevant kind!  If I have to hear a gory description of what is to come _one more time, I'm—I'm going to quit!"_

"Gory?" Corran asked, speaking up for the first time.  "Not to make you hear it again, Kaw, but why gory?  It's not one of those nice words you just throw around for the hell of it."

Min smiled sadly and seated herself in an ornate chair across from most of the group, "Oh, it's not that bad.  Just the slaughter of both sides to reach a set point in time where the only thing for sure is that thousands will meet their end and a great power will be unleashed and realized by one."

"Oh," Mara said.

"You don't seem too stunned by this, dragon," Gor growled, but it seemed he was just being difficult to keep his mind from thinking of the subject at hand.

"I told you, it's Mr. Levity," Cyan said prissily, then his face became serious, "and I'm not stunned because that is the first thing Val told my _padmiri about in there.  I've already got the long version, but I think one of you should relate it.  Sorry, Kaw, but we do need to know this."_

"I know.  It's just the more I hear it, the more it seems there is nothing we can do about it," Kaw said dejectedly.

Qul gave Kaw a sympathetic pat on the back and seated himself next to her, "There is nothing we can do about it, which is the point.  I apologize, Jedi, we are being quite vague.  Min, you should tell it, you seem to be the only one who can do it objectively and quote it so eloquently."

Min nodded and settled herself into her chair.  "When the Mother Dragon made her prophecy following Jedis's death, Chiss scholars took it down and over the centuries it has been rewritten, and perhaps reinterpreted.  As such what we have is as close to a word for word account of what the Mother Dragon foretold as anyone is going to get, though maybe not exact.  Some parts still don't make a lot of sense.

"What we have basically goes like this; 'In a thousand turns of silver'—we think this means twenty five thousand years, there's been various interpretations over the years follow by much panic, but I think we've got it right this time.  Anyway, 'in a thousand turns of silver the sun shall twin and they will light the stars. In the time of greatest despair there shall come one who will bring balance to the Force, and he shall be known as The Son of Suns.  And beyond twenty turns of the standard sun, the Circle will turn unto its beginning, and the All Times War will begin again.  And thus the Second Desolation will come, and the Son of Suns will learn the truth of the three parts of the Ether, and the whole universe will feel that truth's effect.

"'Hearten souls and stars for the Daughter of the Suns shall cradle you and will walk the lights of the sky to the fusion of Ether and the beginning's end shall come.  Souls and stars shall bleed, will soak the ground of a hundred worlds. Dark shall steal light and the stars will journey to the edge of light to see the snake as it devourers its tail.  The Lighted Dark, and the Darkened Light will come, will strike, will fall, will stand, will join, will separate, will live, will meet their justice.  Souls and stars will come, will strike, will fall, will stand, will join, will separate, will live, will meet their justice. Revolt from the Dark, revolt from the end.  The super nova of the final blinds me to the outcome."

There was silence for a long time until Olive hiccuped and then gulped it back down.

"Wow," Corran said in wonder.  "How long did it take you to memorize that?"

"I was charged with finding a modern interpretation of the prophecy.  I read it so many times trying to puzzle through it I don't think I could ever forget it," Min said softly.

Mara crossed her arms over her round belly and asked, "So what was your take on all that?"

"Well," Min said, frowning a little as she organized her findings in her head, "nothing concrete except that a lot of people are going to die and the end result is so big and so unpredictable, the Mother Dragon couldn't figure out what was going to be."

"Oh," Mara said again.

  


Chapter XI

_I can see the walls shattering, crumbling before the ocean.  _

_The wave crashes into the City of the Dark, brings it down.  _

_I am a dam.  _

_I am a damned dam.  _

_I have to control the flow or it could keep going.  _

_Or I can trust the waters to stay within the banks, hold its course.  _

_But if it overflows the edge we could all be washed away.  _

_I am a damned dam and I am breaking.  _

_I must hold.  _

_The wall is still there, weak, but there nonetheless.  _

_I must hold.  _

_The Dark isn't clean, it needs a flood of light.  _

_I must hold? _

_I'm cracking, I'm cracking.  _

_I am a damned dam._

"Damn it, Luke, wake up."

"Mmm . . ?" Luke opened his eyes when Mara's mildly exasperated curse penetrated the odd dream.  "What?  Did I fall asleep?"

"You must have," Mara said with an amused rather than annoyed smile at his expression which was a melding of grogginess and confusion, "which is stunning when you think about who just arrived."

Luke tilted his head for a better look as Mara stepped out of the way, then a grin spread across his face.  "Han!  Oh, I forgot when you were coming.  Sorry, I've just been swamped with paper work today."

"No problem, kid," Han Solo said, plopping onto the couch as Mara headed for the door.  "Where are you going?  I just get here and you're already runnin'?"

Mara rolled her eyes on her way out, saying over her shoulder, "Not quite yet, but give it a few hours.  Right now I have to go find my son—I think he and Valin are playing in the coolant pipes again."

"I never got that.  I think playing on the coolant pipes is a great way to learn the way a ship works, plus it's not exactly the most dangerous thing for a kid to be playing with," Han said as the door closed behind Mara.

"Not on the pipes, _in them," Luke explained, stretching the kinks out of his back that had been bent over the desk for far to long.  He'd just have to figure out the meaning of the odd vision sometime latter.  "Ben and Valin have discovered the joys of sliding down tunnels lubricated with coolant and Mara's a little sick of trying to wash it out of Ben's clothes."_

"Ah.  Mara never did seem like the type to want to do a lot of laundry.  Or any kind of housework for that matter.  So how is she taking to the restrictions of motherhood?" Han asked with a knowledgeable grin.

Luke groaned and rubbed his temples.  "I think I'm going to have to tie her down soon.  Things are heating up and after our little foray to rescue Ben, she doesn't seem to have much intention of staying home while I'm away 'having all the fun' ever again."

"You realize there isn't much chance of you making her," Han pointed out.

"Oh, I know," Luke assured him.  "Pregnant or not she can take me out pretty much anytime she wants."

"Mostly because you wouldn't fight back."

"AH!" Han exclaimed as the voice suddenly popped out from behind the couch.  "Emperor's black bones, Cyan!  What the hell are you doing back there?"

Cyan popped his head over the back of the couch to blink lazily at Han.  "Luke got to have a nap, why can't I?"

"Cyan'll take the floor over something as silly as a couch any day of the week," Luke said with a grin.

"Well, warn a guy when you're going to pop up out of no where like that," Han growled.  "My heart can't take shocks like it used too."

Luke chuckled and then gave in and stretched his whole body.  "So what's the occasion of this wonderful visit?"

"What, I need a reason to visit my brother in law and best friend, not to mention my sister in law, my new nephew and my own kids?" Han demanded, looking suitably offended.

"Leia fretting?"

"Like crazy," Han conceded.  "So what have you guys been up too?"

"Oh," Cyan said with a little smile, "just a bit."

Han looked from the dragon to the Jedi and then sighed, "Should I be getting comfortable?"

"Might be a good idea," Luke said.  It took a while, but between the two of them Luke and Cyan managed to fill Han in on everything that he missed over the past few months.  They hadn't been able to contact Coruscant for fear of giving away their position or compromising Leia politically since she could been seen as aiding "traitors to the ideals of the New Republic and frauds to the real traditions of the Jedi".  The news of Kyp's death hit Han hard since he had been close to the young Jedi, having helped him escape from Kessel and introducing him to Luke in the first place, so many years ago.  However the talks with the Chiss helped Han focus on other things.

"So they're really going to help you?" Han asked.  "What did you guys talk about?"

"Well, Val explained what he knew of the prophecy and his interpretations, I told him what we knew and we talked about where this is probably going to head.  Which, unanimously is thought to be war.  Mostly fought on the ground since no Chiss like having space stations so any hit against a large population base is going to be hand to hand probably.  Works for us," Luke added with a sardonic shrug.  "It's going to be messy, though."

Cyan snorted, "Space battles aren't exactly a Jedi's specialty, and they could be messy too.  The other thing we got from the meeting was all the intelligence information they have on the Cragon so we know where to move."

"And more importantly where not too.  We've been trying to find a place to set up a base where we can put the children and other valuables that we don't want to put in danger.  Now that we know the Cragon's favorite stomping grounds and their preferred type of planet, the Jedi who've been setting this up know where to go and pretty much have this planned out," Luke finished.

"Wow," Han said in amazement.  Then he frowned, "Who's setting this up?"

"Corran, Ganner Rysode, and Kawlri.  About half of the older apprentices will go with them, all the children, a few other older Jedi, a lot of the non-Jedi volunteers who came with us and Pellaeon has also agreed to send some troops to help out," Cyan said.

Suddenly something occurred to Luke, "Oh that was what I wanted to contact you about.  Since this is going to not only be an operation with Jedi and non-Jedi having to work together, but Jedi and _Imperials having to work together, I kinda want someone to be a . . . liaison."_

"Someone who gets both sides.  We'd send Kam but we need him here.  Ganner just isn't civil enough, Kawlri's a little too trusting, and Corran isn't exactly mentally fit at the moment," Cyan added.  "So we were going to call you."

"You get the Jedi as much as anyone who isn't one can, if anything by just hanging around with us so damn much.  But you're not one so there's a chance in hell the Imps there will trust you," Luke explained further.  "Plus I figure after so many years living with Leia you should be able to at least pretend you can get along with everyone."

Cyan snorted then gave Han a surprisingly earnest look, "Mostly we just want someone there we can trust to keep things . . . well, maybe not in order but keep it from complete chaos."

"And if it were ever to happen that the Cragon were to find the base, I know you could think of some way to keep everyone as safe as possible," Luke finished.

"Wow," Han said again, glancing form Luke to Cyan.  "You know sometimes I'm not so sure I'm talking to two people.  Wait, I'm not, really, am I?  Oh, hell fire, forget it, I ain't thinking about that.  I've got a headache from the jetlag as it is."

"So will you help?"

Han threw a glare at his brother-in-law as if he were insane, "Of course, kid.  I'm not doing anything important right now.  Hmm, maybe I'll bring Chewie along, and Lando's been buzzing around Imperial City ever since that Dribrillion thing fell through.  If there's anyone I know who can help with the start up of a new base . . ."

"That's an excellent idea," Luke assured him, sitting back in his chair with a sigh of relief.  "Yes, good, good, that _will work great.  Good."_

"So what else is bugging you?"

Luke laughed, remembering that he had been around Han a little too long to keep stuff from him.  "I'm just wondering where Wurth is.  I can't force anyone to stay with us, but he is a very powerful Jedi with so much potential.  I don't want him to get in over his head, and I don't want to lose him, but there isn't much I can do right now.  I don't even know where he went."

------------------------

Wurth exited his stolen shuttle onto the crowed tarmac littered with refuge, oil stains and unfortunate souls that succumbed to the pollutants and other downfalls of the wretched world known as Baf.  He didn't know why he had come here, he'd just pulled up a star chart on the monitor, closed his eyes and stabbed his finger in, and landed right on this planet.  It was much deeper into the Wilder Regions then anyone had gone before, yet humans populated the planet almost exclusively.  Such a thing was practically unheard of outside of the Core Worlds, and past the Rim it was just down right strange.  Fortunately this worked to Wurth's advantage.  All he had to do was slip into the nearest clothing store, get the latest local duds and he could blend in.

After Wurth picked up his new outfit and put it on he went for a walk, not really knowing where he was supposed to go, but he knew he had to be somewhere.  As he went, the state of the planet confused him more and more.  It was obvious that the world was technologically advanced, yet it seemed that with all the "modern miracles" the galaxy could offer, disease and decay still managed to grasp the world by the throat.  He passed by a cantina with an outside deck and watched a barmaid wantonly thrown upon a table and assaulted.  At first she screamed in protest and then gave in when it became obvious the man that had grabbed her wasn't going to let her back up until she reciprocated in some way.  When he was finished she calmly stood up, pulled the top of her dress up over her amble bosom, adjusted her skirt and finished clearing the table of used mugs and half eaten food that didn't look like it was fit to consume in the first place.

He saw blatant thievery and the screeching calls of hawkers chasing the pilferers on their way.  He saw some people who might have been higher up in this tainted society cover their mouths with cloths or face masks as they were forced to walk the streets next to withered wretches huddled in robes stained with their own vomit and other bodily fluids.

He saw a ragged boy on the side of the street with a small, strangely shaped guitar and his coat laid out in the filth in the futile hope someone might put something in it.  Just then a burly man casually made his way up behind the boy and shoved him into a scum covered puddle and reached down to scoop up the child's coat and his meager earnings.

No longer able to standby and watch, Wurth stepped purposely into the burly man's way and used the Force to bring him to a stop.  "I think you should give that back."

The man looked like he was about to say something in response when suddenly the boy ran up behind him, kicked the man in the knee and bolted, his guitar bouncing against his back.

"Hey!" Wurth called, picking up the coat and leaving the man hopping up and down on his uninjured leg, cursing the wretch he was sure mothered the boy.  Wurth chased the child down a side ally, clutching the coat in his arm, only to come out on a nearly deserted street.  The Jedi stopped and looked in both directions, realizing the boy had disappeared.  Panting for breath, he tried to think of the most likely place that the boy could have hid when suddenly his danger sense flared.  Reacting quickly he ducked and rolled to the side, pulling his lightsaber from inside his jacket and igniting it as he twisted nimbly to his feet.  There stood the boy holding a rusty metal rod clenched in a white-knuckled grip as he starred at the lightsaber in astonishment.  Wurth stopped and compressed his lips, wondering how to proceed.  He had half a mind to give the kid a good scare for swinging that rod at his head even though he was only trying to help him, but the look of abject fear on his face made that idea stink of overkill.  

And then he realized the boy wasn't looking _at him in fear, but over his shoulder . . ._

Turning, Wurth was greeted with the barrel of a charged blaster being held by a freckled, redheaded girl whose watery gaze was accented by her slender, malnourished body.

"Tymi, dinnea!" the boy cried.

"Quiet, Poepoe!  And ye!  Ye stay away from me brother.  He—he never did nothin' te ye.  Ye ain't got no right chargin' afta him like that for no good reason.  Ye just stay away!" the girl shouted at Wurth, the blaster shaking in her trembling hands.

Wurth thought briefly about explaining things to calm the girl named Tymi down but then decided against it.  There were quicker ways to settle this and he was tired to playing the pacifist.  Stretching out with the Force he plucked the blaster out of Tymi's hands and chucked it neatly across the deserted road.  Then with a light push in the Force he threw her up against the wall and then pinned her arms down when she sought to strike him with her bony fists.  

"Calm down!  Stop fighting and _calm down!  I'm not going to hurt you or the kid!  I was just trying to give him back his coat!" Wurth exclaimed, still struggling with the girl._

She struggled for another moment before Wurth's words sunk in and she stopped, looking up at him warily through sooty black eyelashes.  She had very big eyes, Wurth caught himself noticing, and though her red hair was dirty and matted, it clung to her face and neck in a most sensuous way.  Realizing where his thoughts had strayed he cleared his throat and pushed his attention back to the matter at hand.

She licked her trembling lower lip and asked in her twangy accent, "Really?"

"Really," Wurth said firmly.  "Now," he added, taking a step away from the surprising warmth of her frail body though he did not relinquish his hold on her delicate wrists, "if I let go of you are you going to hit me with something?"

"I dinnea really think I could if'n I wanted te," she said softly.

Wurth shrugged and let go of her arms.  "Good enough.  And you," he added, picking up the boy's coat from where he'd dropped it.  "Poepoe is it?  You lost this."

The boy took the coat, looking at Wurth suspiciously.  "Thanks," he said cautiously.

"_And," Wurth added sternly, "next time someone tries to help you, don't swing a poll at their head."_

"Dinnea worry, I' ain't like it happen' that much 'round here" Poepoe grumbled.

"Not if ye keep actin' like that," Tymi growled, giving the boy a swift smack on the arm before grabbing hold of the scruff of Poepoe's shirt and dragging him behind her.  "I'm sorry 'bout me brother.  But ye know how it 'tis with, well, everyone else 'round here." She laughed tensely as if she were trying to avoid something.  Giving Poepoe a shove she turned to leave and said over her shoulder, "I guess we'll be going unless there's somethin' ye want . . .?"

She let the question linger and she got a funny look to her eyes.  Wurth frowned, wondering what she was implying.  He searched her mind and realized what she thought he was going to ask for.  He was shocked for sure, though the slight yet delicate curves of her body were plenty tempting.  She didn't want to though and when the thought, _he's better than most, flittered through her mind he felt a sudden and unwarranted sense of anger and outrage.  The thought of one of the filthy wretches he'd seen occupying the bar pawing at her alabaster skin hardened his eyes and made the muscles in his back tense as if he could leap out and destroy any man that had used her like she suggested he would now._

"No, Tymi," Wurth said, coming up beside her and gesturing in a gentlemanly manner, "but I will walk you home so you won't owe anyone else any favors."

  


Chapter XII

"So what I want to discus with you all is how to move forward," Luke told the Jedi assembled in the mess hall, as they had been so many months previous.  "Our original objective, that to rescue my son and gather information has been met.  Yet with this information we know we cannot just return to the New Republic and go back to how things were.  Past transgressions are not enough to sway the government and nor should they be.  The Senate, even if they were not being swayed by traitors, can not go to war based on the visions of one Jedi, even several.  So what do we do?  We cannot take direct aggressive action against the Cragon, this is important.  Not unprovoked or unnecessary action anyway.  We must tread carefully.  If the Dark Side begins to taint our actions, I fear nothing we do will pull us through to a happy ended."

"The base will be landed soon," Corran put in.

Ganner nodded, though not as enthusiastically as Corran.  He was still disgruntled about being removed from the fight.  "Yeah, we can focus on that for now.  There's the landing, security issues to be checked out, and Master you should be there to help in the beginning.  It's great that the Imperials want to help and all, but I don't trust them completely—old reflex I guess."

Luke nodded, remembering a conversation with Corran earlier when the fallen Jedi told him he was positive Ganner thought he would say something to the Imperials to restart the whole civil war.  Kawlri had confirmed that the emotions she felt emitting from Ganner would suggest that was true.  Luke kept these thoughts from showing on his face and in his emotions and responded to Ganner's comment, "That is our primary goal at the moment, and yes, I will be there for the initial set up, but I can only stay for so long so I've asked Han to assist you guys.  He'll be a liaison between you and the Imperials and any other non-Jedi personal there."  Luke gestured to his brother and Han waved at Ganner, grinning enthusiastically.  Ganner just regarded him as if he did not know whether to be happy or upset about this new information.

"I hate to be the one to bring this up," Callista said, raising her hand almost tentatively, "but I think it's obvious that we're going to have to engage the Cragon at some point.  Shouldn't we start looking for something we can do that would help us or anyone else who is being threatened by the Cragon protect themselves."

"There is much danger for us in that very comment," Luke said, pressing his hands to together and touching them to his lips.

Mara shrugged from where she was lounging on one of the more comfortable couches sitting along the edge of the mess hall.  "Besides, we already have something that's probably going to lead us down that path.  Luke promised the Chiss and the Chisgon that if we were in the area we would lend aid to any of their people under attack if they needed it."

"The Cragon are focusing on us for now," Cyan added, "but I don't think anyone here has any delusions of that lasting forever."

Harsa suddenly spoke up for the first time in their meeting, "And well you shouldn't.  The goal of the Cragon is to place the galaxy under the rule of all the Chiss, not just the Cragon Dynasty.  The way they see it is the core Chiss and the Chisgon have been swayed by the 'blasphemy' of the Jedi and once they have succeeded, all the Chiss will be united as they were before."

"It's weird.  It's like all the Cragons are thinking about is the past and they can't grasp what the galaxy has become because they're stuck looking at all that they lost," Jaina put in.

Harsa shock his head, "That's not true, at least not for all of us.  Otherwise there wouldn't be people like me and other Chisgon."

"Oh," Jaina said, "oh, I guess that's true.  I'm sorry, I didn't mean _you . . ."_

"It's ok, I understand what you meant.  Those who are set in the ways of the Cragon, who are unfortunately in all the positions of power fit what you said.  They see what we were, Chisgon see what we have become," Harsa said, the first undertones of pride any one present had heard for a long time creeping into his voice.

"While this has been enlightening," Han commented, "and albeit I am still a bit out of the loop, I really don't think you guys are going to come up with anything concrete here that isn't going to be seen as 'aggressive'."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Kam asked, a little put off that Han would assume they couldn't think of anything.

Han shrugged, fully aware that his comment hadn't made him the most popular person in the room.  "I say you wait.  It seems to me that every time you guys went after something even a little aggressively, something bad happened.  This war has come to you so far, why waist the effort going to it?"

"I think I have to agree.  It's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure no one else had any other ideas," Luke said.  He looked around the room and saw everyone nodding in grudging agreement.  "All right, if that's settled, then we'll move on.  Corran, Ganner and Kawlri, do you want to fill everyone else in on our new base?"

Ganner and Kawlri rose and began making their way to the portable holo projector they'd set up in the center of the room with Corran following more slowly behind being led by Olive.  Kawlri inserted the data card and Corran took a step forward and began to speak.

"For security reasons only those who absolutely have to will be told the exact location of the base.  I realize that it would be virtually impossible for any of you to be insurgents, but we are dealing with desperate people who have access to the Force and who aren't afraid to use the Dark Side to get more.  Keeping this in mind, and just from personal experience I know that powerful adepts in the Dark Side can pull info from your mind whether you want them too or not, or even if you know.  Hell, most of us can, but we don't because of the Code.  From what we understand of the Cragon's . . . well, let's just say rather ambitious goals, those morals we adhere to might not slow them down nearly as much as they would us.

"So for the purposes of discussing it with each other we're going to call our new world Haven, since that is what it is going to be."  Corran paused to press a button on the holo projector.  "It is mostly savannah in terrain, with plenty of greenery that has been found editable for most of the species who will be living there.  We've already got some people working on how to make it taste _good for most of the species who will be living there."  There was a rippling of laughter and Luke felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth; at least Corran was retaining a bit of his humor.  "We will treat this place as another academy, only there will be no unauthorized transmissions off world.  Those who are older and experienced enough will rotate protecting, teaching and running the compound, with making supply and or information runs elsewhere so there won't be too much boredom.  Though frankly I could use some boredom right about now."  More laughter.  "As most of you have heard through the impossible rumor mill this place generates that there will be Imperial forces there will us.  This will help keep the number of fighting Jedi taken out of action down to a minimum.  They will help in the running of the base, along with keeping a small medical team down there as well.  They will be using the base as a means to start their intelligence of the area.  They have been notified and concur that the base should remain under the strictest classification so that we won't be found._

"There are _not," Corran stated, his eyes, sightless as they were, seemed to fall on everyone in the room especially those who would be staying on the base, "and I can't stress this enough, they are __not there to serve us.  They are there as allies to further our common goal.  No Jedi has authority over any Imperial personal, and visa versa.  Anyone who thinks otherwise will just have to deal with that, and if any of you feel as though you are being treated badly by their personal come tell me, Ganner or Kawlri, or go to Commander Caqu, who will be in charge of the Imperial contingent there._

"The purpose of this base for us will be as a staging point, a place to send our injured for treatment and recovery, to continue the training of those who need it.  Most importantly the base's primary purpose as a place for the children and those artifacts and other objects we cannot afford to put in danger."

Corran paused for a moment as if trying to find the best way to emphasize what he was about to say, "this is why it is _absolutely imperative that this base stays hidden.  I don't care if you think you might have recognized the star patterns or whatever, anyone found to be searching for the location of the base will be penalized.  And if you see anyone trying, you should come tell one of us.  I know it's weird not knowing where you are and for those of you who have children staying their it is even harder not knowing where they are, but I reiterate; if the Cragon find the location of the base everyone there would be in grave danger.  If this world is to be our safe haven it must remain a hidden one."_

----------------------------

Wurth stood at the door of Tymi and Poepoe's home with his hands clasped at the base of his back and a fluttery, giddy feeling lurking in the pit of his belly that had no place in this time and situation.

"It's quaint," was all Wurth could think to say as he looked in the door to the cramped quarters within.  It was tidy enough, yet seemed just as washed out and depressing as the rest of the world.

Tymi laughed and pushed Poepoe in ahead of her.  "That's possibly th' nicest thang anyone's said 'bout this place.  The only thing good 'bout 'tis it's ours and I' means we dinnea have te live on th' street like most o' the people I work with.  Hm, funny thing is is that puts us in the upper class 'round 'ere.  Does a right good job o' alienating us from everyone else tee 'cause I dinnea let every single beggar I know take up residence."

"That's not fair," Wurth said, compassion tugging at him, even though he knew he had to make this departure quick; there was something he was supposed to do here, he just didn't know what.  Tymi looked at him oddly as soon as he made the comment and then laughed.  "What?  What'd I say?"

"Ye must not be from 'round 'ere," Tymi exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"Yer accent, the fact that yer nice, the fact that thangs being _fair matter to ye—ye must be a foreigner," Tymi explained, still smiling.  Wurth decided that she didn't smile enough, the laughter made her watery eyes sparkle and brought rosy tints to her pallid cheeks.  "What are ye doing 'ere . . . ah, ye never said yer name . . ."_

"Wurth Skidder."  His real name was out of his mouth before he even realized he was saying it.  He knew it was unwise for him to use his own name here; there was no telling how many Cragon agents were around and just how many names of Jedi they were aware of.

On the other hand he was rewarded when another smile formed upon Tymi's lips.  "Wurth Skidder," she repeated slowly, as if tasting every letter in his name like it was a new delicacy.  "So what are ye doing 'ere, Wurth Skidder."

"I don't know, actually.  Seemed like as good a place as any," Wurth said with as casual a shrug as he could.

Tymi raised a thin eyebrow, "What a silly thang te say.  Do ye 'ave some place te stay?"

Wurth shrugged again.  "I can stay on my ship."

"That dinnea sound too comfortable," Tymi said negligently.  She took another step into the small apartment and pushed the door open a little more with her back.  "Ye could stay 'ere on th' couch if'n yeh want.  Whatever those skill yeh have, it ain't the wisest idea te be out after dark and it'll be night soon."

"Are you sure?" Wurth asked, though the thought of spending the night anywhere beside the cramped quarters of his ship was appealing and after what he'd seen of this world during the day, the atmosphere at night didn't look to promising.  "I wouldn't want to impose on you and your, uh . . ."

"My _brother, and t'wouldn't be a problem t'all.  In fact I'd be offended if yeh dinnea," Tymi proclaimed._

Wurth laughed and responded, "Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I'll have too.  It wouldn't do to offend a lady."  Acting on impulse, he gently grasped her slender hand and planted a ginger kiss upon it.  Tymi gasped and her free hand fluttered to her throat.  Feeling her sudden flash of fear through the Force Wurth let go of her hand and stepped back, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks.  "Sorry."

"T'is ok," Tymi said, though the smile she wore now was strained and stiff.  "C'mon in."

Wurth followed her in, feeling as though he had done something very terrible.  Upon entering Tymi's home he found that even though it had seemed cramped from the outside, inside it was warm and seemed to invite you to relax in the worn couch or the polished, old style rocking chair in the corner.  Separated from the quaint living room by a small island was a sparse kitchenette.  He saw only three doors leading elsewhere; one was to the refresher and the other two led to the bedrooms.

"I guess I'll be staying on the couch then," Wurth commented.  "You have any extra blankets?"

Tymi looked at him oddly again and then nodded, disappearing into one of the bedrooms and then returning quickly with a brightly colored blanket.  Wurth took it and spread it out on the coach, sitting and removing his coat and shoes and then looked up at Tymi who was standing a few feet away and Poepoe who was planted in the doorway leading into his room with an unreadable expression on his face.  Wurth felt an awkward silence settle on the little home.

"Umm . . ." Tymi started once the silence seemed to have fallen too heavy to let stand, "would ye like somethin' to eat?  We, um, already had dinnar, but I can make ye somethin' if ye want . . ."

"No, that's ok.  I ate a little while ago, I'm fine," Wurth said, nodding and sitting back, trying to act natural.

Tymi nodded, as if that explained everything.  "O-ok, then.  Ah, 'tis late, and we have an early morn t'marrow.  Off to yer bed, Poepoe.  I'll be soon to sleep me self."  Poepoe took a long, hard look at Wurth and then walked into his room without another word.  "Dinnea mind him.  He's like that sometimes."

"Don't worry about it," Wurth told her with a shrug, slipping underneath the thick blanket.  "Good night."

"G'night," Tymi said tentatively and then walked slowly to her room.  She paused at the doorway and glanced over her shoulder at him, and then shrugged to herself and went to bed.

Outside of the small, ramshackle apartment stood a man.  His skin was burnt with sun, smog and grit.   He'd seen the foreigner land, seen him look at their world with disgust, seen him help the worthless street whelp, seen him go home with the whelp's much-adored sister.  Most importantly though, he'd seen the foreigner make the blaster fly, he'd seen the sword of light and fire.  It could mean only one thing.

Jedi had returned to Baf, and it could mean naught but the death of them all.

  


Chapter XIII

Haven could well have been called that before the Jedi came to secrete their most beloved and precious legacies there.  It could have been a Haven from all industry, from all the wilds of the modern universe.  There one could escape into the wilds of its grassy plains and its rocky mountains and its crystal blue oceans and clear lakes and streams and its abundance of flora and fauna untouched by anything that might harm it.

The shuttles that spewed from the hearth of the _Bairn of Hope fell towards their Haven like a paltry attempt to imitate the waterfalls their occupants will soon live by.  Luke sat in the lead shuttle as Ganner steered it down with a steady hand, listening to the conversation going on in the back with his mind's eye where the rest of the passengers should have been if they hadn't all crowded to the cockpit to watch the landing._

"C'mon, Olive," Cyan growled with a mischievous grin curving his lips.  The space was empty; Cyan would have gone ahead but he was far to big to fit with all the people there, and Olive was too short to see the view-port and he shied from crowds anyway.  Since they were alone, Cyan decided this would be as good a time as any to teach the little ankle-bitter a few life skills.  "We're going flying."

"What!" Olive squeaked just as Cyan started moving to the rear hatch, shacking a little to loosen up the back muscles he would need for that all important initial down-stroke.

"The key," Cyan continued as if Olive hadn't made a noise, "is to not think about it too much.  You're born with this ability.  It might seem a little rough at first, but you actually knew how to fly before you left the egg."  With that, he hit the release for the hatch and jumped into the blue, blue sky before the door had even finished lowering.  Olive shrieked in fright as the force of the wind leaving the passenger hold sucked him out with his elder counterpart.  The humans in the cockpit turned in alarm at the noise as Luke calmly flicked the switch that would shut the hatch behind them.

Olive's shriek continued once he was outside the shuttle, though it faltered just slightly when he got a good look at the ground that was so very, _very far below them.  He glanced to the right though still below him and saw Cyan happily plummeting toward the ground.  Then, just as Olive was positive he could make out the individual blades of grass below him, Cyan spread his wings to their fullest and tilted them gradually against the wind, gracefully swooping out of his seemingly fatal dive._

Olive, unfortunately, did not have the slightest clue how that worked.  Consequently when the shock of being summarily expelled from the nice safe shuttle against his will had worn off, the only thing he could think to do was flap frantically.  While he did try awfully hard the fact that his wings weren't exactly working in unison seemed to have more of a departmental effect then beneficial.

Now not only was he falling, now he was also doing so in an uncontrolled and uncomfortably fast spin.

Olive was just contemplating how many things Corran would be bumping into tomorrow without him when something grabbed him around the waist and hauled him out of his dive.  Olive squawked with the force of the change in direction and looked up to see Cyan flapping strongly above him.

"Now youngin'," Cyan said in an exasperated voice, "I'm going to give you step by step instruction on how to do this since you don't seem to have a clue.  Perhaps we should have started higher up," he mused to himself, ignoring Olive's yelp at the though.  "Now, open your wings level with your body.  No, open them fully, that's it.  See?  It's harder to keep them closed then to let them spread out, especially when you're on a current like we are.  Now, and try and do it with both wings at the same time, I promise it's more effective, lets flap _down.  Good, now, again with both wings, flap __up.  There, now try and do it as fast as I am.  That's it, down, up, down, up, down . . ."_

Olive did as he was told and then felt them rising in the air, presumably to give him a bit more of a safety net incase he lost the rhythm again.  As they went he realized Cyan wasn't lifting him anymore and _he_ was flying!  Suddenly Cyan let go of him and side slipped out of the way, smiling smugly.  Olive squealed in joy, flapping harder and feeling the wind rush around his small body as he rose still higher in the air.  He tilted his wings as he had seen Cyan do earlier and though his speed slacked off he rose much quicker.  Once he had reached a height that made him feel a little safer he leveled off and experimented with different ways to tilt his wings, feeling as though he was learning to walk all over again.  He chortled in excitement and heard Cyan laugh above him.

"Next time I'm around I'm going to teach you how to roar!" Cyan told him and then peeled off.  "Come now, youngin', the shuttles are going this way.  Time to get a dragon's eye view of your new home!"

The base was to be set up at the end of a canyon where a waterfall might once have fallen but had long ago been diverted to the side by a rockslide.  Now the slope was a scattering of boulders set in place by age and wind, forming an easily climbable hill for them to locate themselves upon.  Not to mention the fact that it was easily defendable and more than a little difficult to spot from the air if you did not know what to look for.

The shuttles landed on a broad plain carved into the side of the slope that spent most of the day blanketed in shadow.  The dragons took their time returning to the ground, circling until Cyan was positive they'd dropped enough speed for Olive to manage the landing.

"Alright youngin', brace with your wings and let your hind end swing forward to catch yourself when you hit the ground.  There, now flap a little to stop yourself from going forward, then drop to the ground," Cyan explained, demonstrating with deceptive ease.

Unfortunately, Olive didn't have as great a time with this as he did with everything else.  He got the bracing and dropping part easily enough, but didn't quite fulfill the stopping of the forward momentum as much as he ought to have.  Consequently he rolled for a considerable distance before sliding to a stop.  Even still, he climbed to his feet with an inanely silly grin on his face.

"He's scared of sock puppets and yet he can fly at altitudes that most creatures would find difficult to breathe in," Mara mused, exiting the shuttle arm and arm with Luke, who carried Ben on his shoulders.

"He's growing.  He's not nearly as afraid of sock puppets as he used to be," Luke pointed out.

Mara snorted, but it was good-natured, "Only because Valin likes them so much."

"I thought you said no one lived here before us 'cept animals," Ben interrupted, pointing at the building cleverly carved from the existing rock face.  "I'm pretty sure someone made _that."_

"Our friends came before us to set things up so all you guys would have a place to sleep when you got here," Luke explained.

"Our friends?" Ben asked, frowned in cute puzzlement for a moment.  Then his face cleared and he smiled.  "Oh, Imps."

Luke and Mara traded grins; not long ago that would have been a harder answer to come to.  "That's right, Ben," Mara said, "C'mon, lets go see your new temporary home."

"Are you guys sure you can't stay?" Ben asked wistfully, resting his chin on Luke's head.

"Oh," Mara said smiling up at her son in sympathy—this had been a hard choice for her and Luke to come to.  "It's just for a little while, honey.  And as soon as I have your new siblings, I'll probably come here for a bit at first and then you'll have them to be with as well."

"Yeah, I know," Ben said, still sounding upset.  "But I jus' got you back.  Don't wanna go 'way again."

Luke reached up and ticked Ben lightly in the sides, "Hey, gloomy, we'll only ever be one short hyperjump away.  And if you ever feel really lonely, just reach out with the Force, we'll always shout a hi back."

"Not _too loud," Ben said solemnly.  "I think you guys can shout __a lot louder than I can."_

Mara laughed and it was a new laugh, one she'd only begun to use after her son had returned.  It was almost as guileless as his; no sarcasm and no fear of seeming silly or giddy.  "Then we'll whisper sweet nothings in your ear, my child, to bring you home."

"Greetings, Master Skywalker!" Commander Caqu called, exiting the deceptive stone structure.  Imperial workers were racing out around him towards the waiting shuttles to help take the new inhabitants to their home away from home and to unload all of the precious artifacts in their care.  The whole atmosphere was that of exited yet coordinated chaos.  Comander Caqu slipped through it with ease to shake Luke's hand in a firm grip.  He was a middle age man with hair just starting to silver at the temples.  Still, his body underneath the gray uniform looked fit and wiry and he had a surprisingly warm eye.  "Welcome to Haven."

Luke smiled warmly in return.  Pelleaon had taken great care in choosing the commander that would be in charge of the Imperial contingent.  He had sent Luke a dozen or so profiles to look over and to pick out those that stood out to him.  As soon as Luke read the data file on Caqu he had known what his choice would be.  He would not delude himself into thinking that there would be no relation problems, but Caqu was repeatedly cited as having great skill in settling disputes and giving fair judgment in most problems.  The only reason he had not been promoted was that he was too good at dealing with soldiers man to man, an arrangement that suited Caqu just fine.

"Thank you, Commander," Luke responded.  "Things seem to have come along quite well in the initial construction."

Caqu smiled and shrugged modestly.  "We have done a lot since we got here, mostly making sure there would be enough sleeping quarters for everyone.  Communications, the kitchenette and other essentials are up, though not all of the planned facilities are finished.  We hope to have the training room carved out in the next two weeks and we are only awaiting a shipment of supplies to furnish some of the offices.  For the moment I'm afraid most of us are going to be sitting on empty crates."

"Don't worry about that," Mara assured him, helping Ben off of Luke's back and taking his chubby hand in hers.  "We've weathered worse things than sore rear ends."

"Truly spoken.  And if you'll come this way, I will give you the grand tour—as it were," Commander Caqu said, leading them into the building.

Meanwhile the chaos outside continued.

"Hey!  Watch where you're going with that crate, you're gonna kill somebody!  Ganner, go give those lost looking Imps something to do, they look a little stunned.  Corran?  You got Ollie with you?  Good, get the younger kids inside before they get run over and tell Tionne she'd better get the older ones in gear if we're ever going to get any of this stuff moved inside!  Hey, you!  Where do you think _you're going?  Other door!  __Other door!  And if I have to tell you again lifting boxes will be the least of your problems.  Oh, __sith spawn!  What are you doing?!  Look . . ."_

Han stood to the side and watched Lando go with a half grin tugging at his mouth.  Lando was, as far as Han was concerned, probably the most experience person this side of Byss at setting up fledgling operations.  At least he'd done it enough for his own enterprises.  He was directing the considerable amount of personal with practiced ease, shouting directions yet managing through tone of voice and sheer charisma to not insult anyone—at least, those who didn't deserve it.

"Uh-oh," Lando said, interrupting himself mid order.  "Uh, Han, old buddy?  You wanna go over there and give Ganner a hand?"

Han looked over to where Lando was pointing and sucked air in through his teeth.  Ganner was speaking with a non-too-pleased expression upon his face, making curt, tense gestures towards the Imperial officer he was addressing.  The officer responded in much the same way and Han groaned inwardly.  The last thing they needed was a Ganner clone.  Chewie came up beside him and honked a question.

"Naw, you stay here incase Lando needs help with something else.  Luke wants a nice happy relationship with the Imperials here.  Going over there to mediate with a Wookie behind me probably isn't going to send a very nice message," Han answered, walking briskly but not obviously in the arguing pair's direction.  "Hey, guys, what's up?" he called by way of a greeting.

He had come up behind the Imperial so he could only see a little bit of the man's face and the officer couldn't see any of him.  The officer responded with a snap, not turning to address him, "Look, mind your own business.  This is between me and this blasted, egotistical know-it-all Jedi here."

"Really," Han said, suddenly wishing Chewie _had come with him.  "Well, there's two things I'm going to say that'll change your opinion of what you just said.  Firstly, that's Ganner Rysode, who help organize this whole adventure and is one of the boys in charge.  And I just happen to be Han Solo, who's the guy who mediates all the problems between your boys and his.  So, no, it's not between you and that blasted, egotistical know-it-all Jedi who outranks you.  So, hey, guys, what's up?"_

The officer was now looking at Han with a rather dumbfounded expression on his face. Then he looked at Ganner, and then he looked back at Han again.  At this point his expression changed slightly: his jaw dropped.

Han rolled his eyes and tried again.  "What's your name, kid, seeing as we've gone through the introductions on our side."

The officer came too with a blink and a small shake of his head.  "Uh, Officer Yor, sir—I mean, Captain—Solo, that is, Captain Solo, um, sir."

"Right, we already know who I am, but you seem to be having troubles with the title so just call me Han.  Now, Officer Yor, what's the problem."

"Oh!  N-no problem, sir—I mean Captain—I mean Han," the poor man stopped, looking a little flustered.  Ganner snorted and turned to Han.

"I came over to give him directions to the supply shuttles and he told me to, ah-hem, 'mind my place'," Ganner explained when it appeared Officer Yor seemed fit to flubber his tongue right out of his mouth.

Officer Yor licked his suddenly dry lips and stammered, "I apologize, I didn't realize who you were . . ."

"Well, kid, learn from it.  You're living with Jedi now, and take it from me, _nothing's ever what it seems," Han told him._

Yor seemed like he might have added something but was interrupted when a sudden ripple of excitement, starting from the main building and running like a shock wave through the thongs of Jedi, Imperials and children.  They could hear the unintelligible murmur that always accompanies the arrival of news before the event is actually made clear.  Han looked around, a growing sense of danger making a nest in his throat.  The older Jedi were looking around nervously as if they sensed something but could not place it.  Olive was restlessly sitting down and then getting back up beside Corran, crooning his distress.  There was an earsplitting bellow as Cyan swooped out of the hanger where he had been unloading some of the heavier equipment to come to a sliding stop in front of the main doors.  Han rushed over, stopping a safe distance away since Cyan was opening and closing his wings and slashing his tail about in impatience.

"Cyan!  What's going on?" Han shouted above the dragon's rumbling and the crowd's confusion.

Cyan turned, his eyes flashing.  "The Cragon are attacking a Chisgon base a couple of systems over.  We can get there in a half an hour but the Chiss don't have any backup closer than three hours away.  It's apparently an agricultural base, only a weak defense; they said the Cragon would probably make their way into the larger cities at any moment."

"Well, what's the hold up?" Han demanded.  "Let's get on board!"

"Not you, Han," Luke interrupted, emerging from the main building with Mara, Ben and Commander Caqu in toe.  "You need to stay here and make sure nothing goes wrong while I'm gone.  I can't be worrying about this while I'm dealing with a possibly major battle."

Mara turned to Caqu and threw a flippant salute in his direction.  "Sorry to cut the tour short, I'm sure we'll make up for it later!"  She reached down and scooped Ben up into her arms and squeezed him as tight as she thought she could get away with without cutting off his breathing.  He squeaked in indignation and then threw his arms around her neck and buried his face in her shoulder.

"You're not allowed to go," Ben mumbled sullenly, tightening his hold.  "You stay.  Others can do the fighting."

"I wish that were true, Ben, I really do.  But we've got to go now, or many innocents will be hurt who don't have to be," Luke explained, joining their embrace.

Ben leaned back and regarded his father with that oddly mature expression of his, then wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve.  "Yeah, I know.  But you better come back in one piece or I be real mad."

Luke smiled, swallowing the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat, "You sound just like you're mother."  Mara laughed and they all embraced again as the sea of people embedded and flowed around them, Jedi swiftly emptying enough of the shuttles to take all those who weren't staying back up to _Bairn of Hope._

"Luke . . ." Cyan said not unkindly, nudging his _padmiri on his shoulder._

"I know," Luke said, stepping away and swiftly blinking back tears.  "You'll be ok, Ben.  We'll always be with you, no matter what happens, we'll always be with you."

Mara nodded, not trusting herself to speak.  She put Ben back down on the ground and whispered her good byes in his ear, then strode swiftly to catch up to Luke who was already issuing orders.  It was only a matter of minutes before the ships were emptied of their precious cargo and the passengers were onboard.  They lifted off amide the shouts of encouragement and tearful waves of farewell from those who stayed behind.

  


Chapter XIV

They came out of hyperspace in the Eosch system, the sleek body of _Bairn of Hope slicing through space toward the third planet where even from a distance the lights of battle could be seen illuminating the night side of the besieged world.  As they approached Luke gradually was able to make out one of the Cragon's heavy cruisers surrounded by some of the __Valsha's and __Lispa 9-13's.  As they watched, most of the __Valsha's started heading for the surface as the larger ship continued to rain down destruction on the small world with little to no resistance._

"They're hailing us, Master!" Cilghal announced.

"They're also turning some of their guns in our direction," Jenab Roheb added.  "They don't seem too concerned about the surface."

Luke nodded.  "No, I don't imagine they would have much reason to.  Open up a channel."

The communicator sprung to life with a holographic image of a Cragon soldier with the rank cylinders of a Captain on his left breast.  He spoke in a deeply accented voice almost slurred with boredom; apparently it had been an easy conquest.  "Unidentified ship, surrender yourself, you have entered into Cragon territory.  If you willingly hand over all of your supplies for the glory of the Cragon Dynasty little harm will come to you and those on your ship."

"Oh," Luke said, looking rather surprised.  "I'm sorry, I was unaware that this was Cragon held territory.  Well, I suppose I _could hand over all of our cargo, except there's a small problem with that.  You see, they're all Jedi.  Oh, and this ship seems to be quite well matched with yours and your fighters never seem to have all that great a time when they try and tangle with us.  So maybe a better course of action would be for you to leave this system before we are forced to take any action against you."_

"_What?  Are you threatening a vessel in the service of the Great Dynasty?" the Captain exclaimed, apparently appalled that such a thing could even be suggested.  "Foolish Jedi, I will punish you for your wrongs of the past and for your insolence of the present!"_

With that proclamation the holoprojector switched off.  Mara raised a slender eyebrow and leaned over to murmur in Luke's ear, "Don't you think that was a little bit egotistical, love?  If they get all those ships that just dropped back in space—"

"We've got better shields than them, we can hold out for longer than they're anticipating, certainly long enough for the Chiss backup to get here," Luke interrupted. "And besides, I _want the ships that just dropped to come back up.  Leaves less of them on the ground to deal with afterwards."_

Mara nodded in understanding and then asked, "Do you want me on guns?"

"No," Luke shook his head.  "This is going to be a slugging match, I'm not worried too much about who's more accurate at the moment.  It'll be pretty hard to miss that thing.  I'd rather have you hear to help me figure out how me and an intrusion party are going to get down to the surface while all this is going on."

"You're going to do _what?" Mara demanded, mirroring the Cragon Captain's tone almost exactly._

Luke smiled at her, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.  "I want those _Valsha's back in orbit so when the Chiss get here, it will be easier to drive them off.  And something tells me they aren't having too much luck doing that themselves on the ground."_

"Luke, going down to the surface is suicidal!"

"All of my ideas are suicidal, love," Luke reminded her with an unperturbed smile.  "That's why I have you.  You're generally the one who makes them, um, cidal."

Mara glared at him.  "That's not a word."

Luke shrugged.  "You know what I mean.  Ejila, increase shields to the base, Miko, belly up against our friend.  Let's keep our pretty, open, relatively unprotected bridge away from the heavy turbolaser fire. Now look, Mara," Luke added, dropping his voice so he wouldn't be heard above the tumult of voices raising in shock and excitement as the Cragon cruiser opened up on them, "this is the only way I can think of for us to hold out until the Chiss ships get here, and keep the casualties planet side to a minimum.  Now, if you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it, 'cause I'm not looking forward to the trip down no matter what we think of."

Mara didn't answer him for a moment, looking him hard in the eye, furious at him for being right and furious still that she could not go with him.  Then she sat back and glared sullenly at the floor decks, lost in thought.  "The only thing I can think of that would minimize the certainty of you getting blown to smithereens on the way down is to send out two waves of shuttles, with you in the second.  Make the first attack bigger to engage the _Lispa's and then you and whomever you bring with you can go out once they've been sufficiently occupied.  Since the settlement seems to be only on the dark side of the planet, swing around to the light side and then approach the city in atmosphere and hope they haven't set up any sophisticated sensors yet.  Or gotten hold of those the Chisgon had set up."_

"You see?" Luke commented, kissing her lightly on the lips.  "Easy as mynock pie."

Mara's eye flashed in frustration and then cleared slightly.  "I want to pilot the shuttle that takes you down."

"Mara—"

"We don't have that many qualified pilots left," Mara cut him off hurriedly, knowing what his opposition would be.  "If you're going to do this, you'll need—"

"—You in command up here so I know our new ship isn't going to wind up in many melted little pieces while I pilot the shuttle down myself.  We only _have five shuttles; I'm taking one, so four.  We have Miko, Jaina, Hoijo, and Callista, who are more than qualified—"_

"Master!  There's a coolant leek on deck 24!" Jenab suddenly shouted.

"Then get someone down there to fix it!" Luke responded in exasperation.  He turned back to Mara to see her features settling into stubborn, unmovable lines.  Luke took her face in his hands and hardened his eyes.  "I am going down.  You are not.  This has been disgust and will not be changed now.  I understand it's hard for you, but we cannot risk it.  Please, love, please just stay here."

Mara broke away from him and sat back, slamming her fist onto her armrest.  "Go."

"Mara . . ." Luke began, not wanting to leave her in this state.  Then he sighed and started heading towards the door.

Callista let her hands dance over the controls of the shuttle, slipping in behind Miko as they neared the wave of approaching _Lispas.  Farther and farther behind them, Luke and the rest of the Jedi that would accompany him had already started their break for the terminator line of this backwater world.  Callista grimly compressed her lips, thinking of the exchange that she had witnessed between him and Mara even though the enemy was only minutes away.  The woman was much too temperamental and independent to stay with Luke for long, she thought with callous satisfaction.  All she had to do was bide her time._

"Alright, here's the plan," Luke said as he started to gradually drop off altitude in preparation to land on the outskirts of what their sensors listed as the biggest and pretty much the only city.  "We land the shuttle in a grove of trees, no camouflage, not much use in it.  If we have to get off planet fast, coming here isn't going to be the best idea.  Break into groups of two and make your way to the main complex, which is what the Cragon will likely have done as well.  Hopefully the inhabitants are still holding out there.  From the life readings I'm picking up, that's probably the case.  Anyway, make your way in and try and _disable as many as the Cragon as you can.  If we don't have to kill anyone, than don't.  Do something scary and make them run away.  Lightsabers are useful tools for that sort of thing.  Bright, flashy, burny, and all that.  All we have to do is keep the Cragon from getting a foothold here until backup arrives.  So we're on havoc duty, take out equipment, whatever, anything you think will slow them down."_

Just as he finished his instructions Luke stopped the shuttle amidst a group of trees in a small park outside the city.  He flicked the release to the hatch and quickly set it up so that anyone who didn't send the proper code to the ship would be shot at.  "Go and come back just as you left, _alive_!  And may the Force be with you!"

They ran from the lowered ramp and slipped into the forest, darting from tree to tree as silently as only Jedi could be.  Luke ran close to the ground, making a direct line for the main complex, knowing that's where he would be needed most.  No one came with him, he wanted the rest to cause as much trouble as they could.  Judging from the panic that he could sense coming from the Chisgon inhabitants, he figured the main complex could fall at any moment.  Their only hope for them was for the others to distract the Cragon while he got into the building and helped the inexperienced Chisgon defend it.  According to the data Val had given him, this system was purely pastoral; they were fortunate to have anything to fight back with.

He entered the city, moving swiftly and lightly, trusting that the Force would warn him of impending danger.  The sounds of distant blaster fire were getting closer; he could feel the spikes in the Force as some of the more eager Jedi engaged the enemy. 

Reaching an ally, Luke stopped midway through.  Up ahead he could hear harsh voices speaking a Cragon dialect.  Though he could not understand what they were saying, one thing was for sure, they were getting closer.  Creeping up to the corner, Luke carefully peeked around.  There were two of them, chatting easily next to a sleek landspeeder.  Taking a deep, calming breath, Luke stepped out into the street.

And instantly realized his mistake when two-dozen Cragon soldiers marched out of an adjacent building with prisoners.  And now they were all looking at him.

"Ah, shavit," Luke commented and ducked back into the ally just in time to avoid the flurry of delayed blaster bolts that now occupied the place he'd just been standing.  He ran back down the way that he'd come, chased by angry shouts and wild, overzealous shots.  Coming out on the other side he ducked to the right, a bolt burning a hole though his coat.  All thoughts of hiding given up, he ran down the street wondering frantically what to do.  He ducked behind a parked speeder just as the soldiers emerged from the ally and opened up on him again.  Continuing his roll he wound up in another ally, which lead to a small courtyard.  Stopping next to a bubbling fountain he cast his eyes about the plaza and found only one exit.

"_Report!" Mara shouted when an explosion much bigger than usual rocked the ship._

"Hull breach!" Jenab responded, typing with one hand and using the other to hold a bandage to a nasty shrapnel wound on her temple.  "Decks sixteen to twenty one!"

"Cilghal, send out an evacuation order for decks fourteen to twenty three and make sure the blast doors are shutting off behind them!  Ejila, turn the damaged areas away from the Cragon and redistribute the shields!  Jenab, how are our fighters doing?"

"They're all right except for Jaina, she's lost her rear stabilizers and her shields are down to thirty two percent!" Janab reported.

Mara felt a stab of cold fear jab through her stomach.  Jaina!  She couldn't lose her!  "Tell her to come back in!  And where the hell is Callista?  She's supposed to be on her wing!"

"They're right in the thick of it, Master," Jenab explained.  "Callista's taking them down as fast as they can send them, though!"

"That doesn't mean a single bloody thing to me if Jaina gets killed while she's trying to get ace status!" Mara snarled.  "Order them _both back in, get the other shuttles over there to clear Jaina a path.  Ejila, watch our stern, we're tilting.  Any word from the surface, Cilghal?"_

"Everyone has checked in except for Master Skywalker," Cilghal answered, glancing nervously at Mara.

Mara didn't say anything for a second and then settled back in her chair, the sounds of battle suddenly muted.  He couldn't die; those had in fact been his last words to her.  "I might get the crap beat out of me, but I'm not going to die, love.  Remember the set moment.  Some things can get switched around, and not to sound egotistical or anything, but I'm not one of them.  Why put me through all this shit if Fate wants someone else?"

Firmly holding onto that slim assurance, the sounds of the bridge returned to her.  Besides, she would have felt him die, he was still there, but he was concentrating hard.  She compressed her lips, he'd probably just forgotten to call in all together.  Blast him!

"Alright, don't worry about it.  Luke can take care of himself.  Jenab, how are their shields looking?"

"Callista!  Head back in _now!"_

Callista snapped back to reality, loosing the lock she had on one of the _Lispa's.  "Damn it, Miko, I lost my hold.  I could have had him!"_

"Big deal, Callie," and the tense anger in Miko's voice was plainly obvious, jolting the last vestiges of battle mist from her mind.  "Especially since your wing-mate's practically dead in space!"

"What?  Oh no!"  Now Callista saw the blinking light on her sensor board and glanced out the view port to see Jaina limping away from enemy craft as the other Jedi shuttles raced to give her cover.  Swallowing the bile rising in her throat, Callista belatedly flew to give her assistance.

"Oh, no."

Luke stood facing a very tall wall.  If he had something he could boost off of, he could probably jump to the top with a little assistance of the Force.  Regrettably there was nothing in sight, the small court was empty except for a dilapidated shrub in the middle.  There were two corridors on either end besides the one he entered through but somehow he knew neither of them went anywhere either.

What was he going to do?  He could hear the Cragon coming; they had slowed when they realized they were entering a place that could have easily been a good ambush location, which would have been great for Luke had he not split everyone up.

Well, there was nothing to be done about it now except trust in the Force and run.  He went down the corridor on his left, which made few turns, the reddish stone walls dented occasionally by small alcoves with plants or sculptures in them.  Some tough form of grass was poking up through the cracks and there were signs of water damage on the stone.  These were all details he would remember latter, but for now everything around him passed by in a red blur as he went down the twisting passageway.  His pursuers had slowed down further, just as unfamiliar with the layout of this strange building as Luke was.  They could afford to be cautious with their numbers and the opinion that they had already won.  He was just skittering around yet another sharp turn when the world dropped out from underneath him.

Callista arrived on the bridge just as the Cragon ship's shields began to buckle.

"All guns on their engines!" Mara shouted, the excitement of the battle urging her to her feet and she pointed with sweeping gestures to what she wanted done.  "Focus on the port modulators, maybe we can just knock out their sub-space drive.  They're too close to the planet to go to hyperspace.  Jacan, stay away from the ventral ports, that'll blow up the whole damn ship!  Callista," Mara added, turning toward the fallen Jedi, the excitement at the close of a kill switching aim to new pray, "get on one of the gun turrets and don't say a word to me that doesn't pertain to your job."

Callista didn't move for a second, just holding Mara's gaze and standing absolutely ridged.  Mara met it by setting her feet and placing her hands on her hips, flicking an eyebrow in a confident dare.  Callista swallowed and did as she was ordered, refusing to be seen as instigating a fight with a pregnant woman.

As soon as Callista backed down, Mara turned from her as if she was no longer interested.  "How do their shields look?" she asked.

"They're coming down!" Jenab shouted in excitement.

The words were hardly out of his mouth when the concentration of turbolaser blasts finally punched their way through and lanced into the cruiser's outer hull.  Great gouts of superheated metal, plasma and air boiled outward, freezing almost immediately in the cold of space but still leaving a gapping hole in the engines.  _Bairn's gunners worked their way forward, sending more of the cruiser's shields crashing down and then they lashed out at the Cragon ship's guns, rendering it virtually defenseless.  A cheer when up around the bridge but was quickly cut off by Mara's authoritative voice._

"Calm down, guys!  It isn't over yet.  Cilghal, get me that ignorant Captain of theirs on the com."

"He's already hailing us," Cilghal informed her.  The holographic image of the Captain once again appeared on their projectors.  He appeared considerably less confident than the last time they spoke with him, and the scene behind him was of panicked chaos or of officers standing around in bitter defeat.  Mara plastered her most cocky grin on her face and tried to think of what they were going to do with them until the Chisgon reinforcements got there.  Just then Cyan burst on the bridge.  He had been about as thrilled as Mara when told he wasn't coming, but one of the plasma containment cylinders was loose in engineering and he was needed to help keep it in place (seeing as he was the only creature on the whole ship that could match it in weight).  Now he was on the bridge, covered in oil and grime, glancing at Mara imploringly.  She shot him a quick glance and a mental signal that she would get to him as soon as possible; he looked inordinately worried about something.

Once she had spoken to the Captain and basically received their unconditional surrender, she switched off the holoprojector and motioned for Cyan to come over.   "What is it?"

"Um, Luke's fallen down a hole."

"What?  Cyan, make sense."

"I am," Cyan said crossly.  "He was running away from a squad of Cragons—"

"A squad?  Of course, what else would he get caught by?"

"—and he went into some abandoned complex thing and was going down an alleyway, fell through the floor and while he is fairly certain it will make it more difficult for the Cragon to find him, he's having a little trouble finding himself," Cyan finished.

Mara compressed her lips, tapping her foot.  Blast him, blast him into the void.  Can't get killed, eh?  Apparently he forgot that that might be because he brought other competent people along to pull his ass out of the fryer, the stupid son of a bantha . . .

"Mara, if you can save the self-validating thoughts for when we have Luke safe and sound on the ship and you can yell them at him, it would be nice if you could get someone to take me and some others down to the surface," Cyan broke in.

"Right, Cilghal, you have the bridge.  Miko?  No, I don't need you on guns, you're coming down to the surface with me.  Ejila, Dorsk 82, Bgfra, you're coming too," Mara ordered, striding with amazing swiftness to the door.

Cyan frowned and in three easy hops was in front of her.  "Mara, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready to pilot the shuttle down to the surface," Mara said, taking up the same stance with Cyan as she had with Callista.  "And I'm not arguing about it."

"Mara—"

"Now listen, Cyan the Blue Dragon of K'ti'ma," Mara cut him off, wagging a finger at his nose threateningly, her eyes flashing emerald, "I don't care if you have practically impenetrable scales and whatnot.  I want to go down to the surface.  Therefor I _will be going down to the surface.  So if you don't want me too, you're going to have to force me stay."_

Cyan looked at her blandly for a second and then shrugged.  "Fine, just remember, you asked for it."  With that he plucked Mara up off the ground and made his way to the turbo lift as she kicked and snarled obscenities in his arms.  "You guys get the shuttle warmed up.  I'll be there in a bit."

­—————————— 

"I don't want to go in there."

"Well, I don't want to go in there either."

"You're the one it takes a turbolaser or a big pile of highly corrosive acid to take out."

"And I've little doubt she has both of those things waiting in there for me."

"Oh, great stars, you two," Mara said in exasperation as she opened the door, grabbed Luke by his shirt collar and Cyan by his horn and dragged them both in.  "I'm not going to kill you, just give you a sound thrashing."

"Watch out, Luke, she always uses outdated slang to foreshadow impending violence."

"Quiet, you!" Mara snarled, smacking him up the back of the head and shoving Luke roughly onto the couch.  "First of all, are either of you hurt?"

"Just a few scrapes and bruises," Luke answered meekly.  "Once the cruiser was taken out, they stopped looking for me and Cyan found me quickly enough."

"Good, I can kick your ass and not feel guilty about it," Mara growled.  She turned her angry gaze on Cyan who cringed, flattening his ridge and tucking his tail between his legs.  "If you ever, _ever humiliate me like that again, I'll—I'll—"_

"Mara," Luke broke in, greatly daring, "he was just—"

"Luke, you need to sit there and think of something to use in your own defense."

"Why should I have to defend myself?" Luke demanded.  "Admittedly Cyan could have handled things a little more diplomatically, but there wasn't a lot of time and that's what happens when I'm not around to rein him in."

Mara gritted her teeth, "That's no excuse."

"It's not an excuse, it's and explanation," Luke responded, losing his temper.  "You know how he is almost as well as I do.  And yes I realize the fact that he locked you in our room was a little insensitive, but I doubt much else was going to keep you from going down."

"I would like the choice," Mara said sullenly.

"And I would like the option of advising you when I'm not so sure that choice is the right one without you skinning me alive!" Luke said.  "I thought I got immunity from your most violent rebuttals in that whole marriage deal."

Mara glared at her husband for a moment then realized she wasn't going to win this one, and then whirled upon Cyan again.  "Fine, but _you have no excuse."_

"Mara, I'm sorry but Luke was in trouble, I had to get down to him.  He's my main concern.  I'm really sorry but if it comes to embarrassing you in order to save his life, I won't hesitate to do it again," Cyan told her, picking up on his _padmiri's irritability.  "You've only got a little over a month left anyway, Mara.  You've lasted this long without throwing yourself into conflict, another few weeks won't kill you."_

Mara turned from Cyan to Luke and then back again, clenching her fists in frustration.  "You know, you two are going to drive me to my very end."

"Mara . . ." Luke began, getting to his feet to take her in his arms when he heard the desperate fury in her voice.  "Mara, please be reasonable.  We don't have a choice in this . . ." But she pulled away from him and walked stiffly to their bedroom, refusing to answer when Luke tried to call her back.  He stood there for a moment, lost in indecision, and then he turned to Cyan and compressed his lips.  "I . . . I think we'd better go work late some place else, Cyan."

Cyan was still looking at the closed door to their room, but he nodded, his ridge still flat against his neck.  "Yeah, I think that might be a good idea.  She'll be alright, though," he added hastily, turning to Luke with a confident smile neither of them felt.  "She's just worried.  It'll all be over in a month.  We'll just have to suffer until then.  She'll be fine."

"Yeah, sure," Luke said softly, more to himself than to Cyan.  "A month.  _That's it."_

  


Chapter XV

"So, are you ever planning on going to bed?"

"I wasn't entirely sure if it was safe," Luke said, looking up from the data pad he was starring at blankly to regard his wife as she stood in the doorway.  It was well past midnight (Coruscant Central time) and he was just debating how comfy his couch was or if he'd have to curl up next to Cyan when Mara came in.

Mara shrugged, her expression unreadable.  "I haven't skinned you alive for sharing your opinion yet, just yelled a bunch,"

"That's not what I was worried about you hurting."

Mara glared, feeling her temper rising again, but he was looking at her with such an expression of wary exhaustion that she couldn't maintain it.  "I don't think that would be a good idea for either of us.  We both seem rather fond of that area of your anatomy."

Luke smiled—if a little tentatively—and began to relax.  "You have to have the worst case of cabin fever I have ever witnessed."

"No kidding," Mara commented drolly, rolling her eyes.  "I mean, I don't want to put myself in unnecessary danger no matter what condition I'm in.  But as pretty as this new ship of ours is, it just can't keep me content.  Same reason I kept getting tired of Yavin and dragged you back to Coruscant."

"And here I just thought wanted to spend some quality time with Leia."

"Luke," Mara chided, wandering (or waddling as she had often come to describe herself as she moved) and smiling a little to reassure him and with the warm sense of reinforcement that came to her with the knowledge that they would always make up no matter the argument.  "Don't tease, love, I'm too delicate."

"You? Delicate?" Luke's eyes widened in innocent surprise.  "I don't know.  There's a lot of words I could use to describe you but I'm not so sure that's one of them . . ."

Mara caught herself in a giggle and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth though her eyes were still twinkling.  "So, what would you use, then?" she dared, walking more swiftly towards him.  He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his lap, another giggle escaping from her lips.

"I would say, hmm, you are strong, fiery, a bit stubborn maybe, but smart, kinda cute . . ." Luke began, rubbing her shoulders as he murmured into her ear.  She laughed again and relaxed into his embrace, enjoying their rare time without any cares or worries, knowing it for the illusion it was, yet willing it to never dissipate.  Unfortunately she wasn't going to get her wish.  "I could go on for an eternity and still not get it right, but I think I'll tell you something else that'll make you very happy.  We're running low on some things at Haven.  Which means in about two days we're going to make a pit stop."

"Really?" Mara said, pretending not to be interested.

"Yes, really," Luke confirmed, grinning at the act.  "Some place called Marshlun.  It'll be a bit boring, so I figured I'd put Callista in charge and we can go to this place Harsa told me about—"

"Luke," Mara interrupted again, grinning and twisting around to face him.  "This is great, and I love you for it, but I've had quite enough quiet evenings for the past four months.  I'd rather do the shopping."

Luke sad back and looked at her as if amazed.  "Mara, I am shocked that after so many years of knowing each other that you think I'd be dumb enough to take you to a fancy restaurant when I know perfectly well that you'd much rather go to a bar."  Mara raised her eyebrows, not quite expecting that announcement.  "Now, it's no Mos Eisley Cantina, but according to Harsa it's where all the more reputable officers congregated when the _Threnody would stop by."_

Mara didn't answer for a second as she assimilated what he'd just said.  Then she delivered an enigmatic grin, "That shouldn't excite me as much as it does."

"I thought it might," Luke commented, laughing at her reaction.

Mara threw him a slightly flustered, furious and overjoyed glare and then kissed him soundly to put him in his place.  "I don't know why I can't stay mad at you, hell, it's hard enough to _get mad at you in the first place."_

"It must be that farm boy charm that drew you too me."

"Must be," Mara agreed, laying her head on his chest and curling into his lap as much as her distended belly would allow.  "Mmm, this is quite good for now."

"And how," Luke murmured, letting his cheek rest against the crown of her head and closing his eyes.  He'd almost managed to drift off to sleep when Mara suddenly sat bolt up.  "What?"

"Callista!"

Luke blinked in confusion.  "What?"

"Oh, I can't believe I didn't tell you.  Today when she was flying one of the shuttles she basically abandoned Jaina while she went ape shit on the Cragon.  Almost got your niece killed for one, and when I talked to her after I had Miko drag her back in she looked like she would have gladly started a fistfight right then and there.  I think the only thing that stopped her was the fact that I'm pregnant," she added at the end, rolling her eyes and then pitting Luke with an expression that was both aggravated and worried.  "Something has to be done about this, Luke, and if I do it, there _will_ be a fistfight, pregnant or no."

"Alright, alright, I'll talk to her of course.  I actually knew about this already.  Jaina blasted me the first chance she got," Luke commented.  "Just keep in mind, love, she's never flown in a wing before.  She's used to going at it all by herself.  And yes—" he added quickly before Mara could interrupt, "I realize that's not a very good excuse, but just remember where she's coming from, that's all I ask."

Mara snorted and tried to relax against him but her shoulders remained tense in remembered anger.  "I've been trying, Luke.  But there's only so much that can be excused."

____________________

"So, Mistar Skiddar, are ye ever gonna be tellin' me why yer 'ere?" Tymi asked innocently.  She was dressed in a pale lavender dress that flittered about her legs and gently tickled her ankles.  They were in the market, which seemed to be just as dirty and disreputable as any other part of the world Wurth had had the pleasure of coming across.  In a fit of over protectiveness—a reaction he seemed to be having often as of late, which he suspected was linked to the fact that he noticed the color of her dress and the fact that it was tickling her ankles—he decided to come with her.  Poepoe was out scampering somewhere on the other side of town according to Tymi and Wurth found himself loath to let her go anywhere without an escort.   She held a rumpled bag close to her chest that held the few purchases of fruit that she had already made.  Now she turned her watery eyes over her shoulder, the question floating there just as it had on her lips.  "Well…?"

"Well…" Wurth answered carefully, unsure himself.  "I have something to do here and… I'll find out what that is when it comes to me."

Tymi frowned at him, her mouth accidentally compressing into a pout.  "Ye dinnea know why yer 'ere 't all?  What ye do?  Pop in yer ship, stab yer finger into a star chart an' see where i' took ye?"

"That's…pretty much it, actually," Wurth answered with a shrug.

Tymi stopped and turned to face him completely, shaking her head.  "I cannea tell if ye just dinnea wanna tell me, or ifin' ye dinnea really know yerself."

"A little of both, actually," Wurth said.

She looked at him in confusion for a moment, then threw up her free hand and kept walking, occasionally stopping to inspect some produce or bread.  They walked in silence for a while before she turned and asked, "So, why dea ye think yer gonna find whatever i' 'tis yer looking for by hangin' 'round with me?"

Wurth shrugged.  "I came across you.  I…I believe in fate.  Things'll happen on their own if they really have to.  Though, sometimes that can be taken a little too far and you gotta give fate a little push now and then.  So I came here and found you."

"An' that's it?" she asked, once more stunned by his explanation.

"That's it," Wurth responded.

"Yer insane," she told him, walking off again.

Wurth laughed at her reaction and jogged a few steps to catch up.  He looked around, once again amazed at the almost homogenous population of humans around him.  "Tymi, this might sound like an odd question—"

"I wouldnea be th' first."

"—but why are there so many humans here?  Most of the planets around here are full of…say, Chiss and such," Wurth finished, trying to sound nonchalant.

Tymi looked him as if her earlier observation about his mental stability had just been confirmed.  "No Chiss come 'ere, silly.  This be the world o' Desolation."

Wurth looked at her sharply.  Desolation?  Hadn't that crazy prophesy Master Skywalker kept quoting say a second Desolation was coming?  Maybe… "What was that?"

"Ye dinnea know what the Desolation was?" Tymi asked in astonishment.  Wurth shook his head, though he suddenly felt a bit of a sick feeling in is stomach.  Tymi was looking at him very hard though, as if she expected him to suddenly change his answer.  He shrugged to indicate he was at a complete loss—not even Skywalker had been able to bull shit an explanation as to what the Desolation was supposed to be.  "Funny," she continued, "I was thinking ye were a Jedi."

Wurth started again.  "Jedi?!  I—what do you mean, I didn't—"

"Ye have a lightsaber, dinnea ye?" she asked, pointing to his belt.

Wurth looked down guiltily.  "I didn't think you knew what a Jedi was."

"Ye live next door te the Cragon, ye know what a lightsaber be, I promise ye that," Tymi answered.  She compressed her lips again and then wrapped her slender fingers around his wrist.  "But now I'm a thinkin' ye Jedi havenea been keepin' as good a history as ye should 'ave.  Come with me."

They traveled through the more sordid parts of the city—he had not thought it was possible to get worst, but this world continually proved him wrong—until the dilapidated huts (he could not bring himself to describe them as houses) came to an abrupt and disturbing stop.

"What is this place?" Wurth asked softly, looking outward with a vague sensation of horror shivering up his spine.

"This be the end," Tymi said, her voice subdued.  "This be where the Desolation came, an' never left."

Stretched out before them was a great plain of land, carpeted in yellow grass seeped in reddish mud.  It slopped down from where they were standing until it reached the edge of what looked like a massive impact crater, the edges worn by wind and time, though the rock was still blackened and cracked.  Wurth caught a strange yet familiar scent in the air and breathed deeply, trying to place it.

"'Tis blood," Tymi said.

"What?"

"That stench, 'tis blood.  Never leaves this place.  Ground be soaked in it," she explained.

Wurth glanced at her and then walked towards the field.  "That's ridiculous.  What could have happened out here that would soak this entire field?  Besides, this Desolation, it was caused by Jedis right?  Yeah, I don't care if the ground really _was_ soaked in blood, it can't last that long—"  Suddenly he stopped and looked down.  He was on the scraggly grass and liquid had oozed up around his boots, a dark, red liquid…

"Emperor's black bones!" he exclaimed, scrambling backward so fast he slipped and stumbled to the ground with a sickening splat.  The blood started to ooze into his clothes at once, almost completely soaking through his pants before he could scramble to his feet.  Tymi was there helping him get up, her alabaster skin even more translucent than usual.  "How can this be?  How could it sit here for so long?"

"I dinnea think it 'as, i' jus' that we've been replacin' it," Tymi said softly, pointing to a scene that had been hidden to him by the huts, yet now the gruesome sight was easily distinguished.  Wurth felt his knees shake and next thing he knew he was on the ground again retching.  "I know," Tymi said, her watery eyes no longer sparkling.  "That's what we all do th' first time we see them."

Wurth forced himself to look at the sight again until his broiling stomach could accept it and then spit out the bile that remained in his mouth.  "I think I just realized why I'm here."

"Too bad 'tis not gonna be doin' ye much good."

Wurth turned to the new voice, instinctively scrabbling to get to his feet and shove Tymi behind him, but he was too slow to deflect the flash of light that lance towards him.

  


Chapter XVI

"Are all the children accounted for?"

Quesha glanced up at the soldier in annoyance.  That was the forth time he had asked her since the day had started, which unfortunately meant he was asking it far less than usual.  "Yes, Commander, they are all here," she said respectfully, forcing down the annoyance that tried to find release in her voice.  It was only natural for him to behave as he does, considering.  This was a dangerous place for them and he was in enough trouble as it was.  Anyone would be nervous if they were being blamed exclusively for the loss of Ben Skywalker and the penetration of the base at Undally.  He had been demoted from commanding an entire sector of space to what most disdainfully labeled "baby sitting" duty.

"Good," Commander Palb said briskly without taking his eyes from the streams of people winding their way through the space lot.  "Let's proceed then."

He and Quesha set out along with the thirteen children she had been desperately trying to teach to the level _Ketchi_ Gu set for her, a level she told him again and again was just too high when the teacher could not use the Force.  After the loss of Ben, she did not even have his impression to rely upon and the other children's progress had slowed to a standstill.  Finally Gu relented and decided to send her to Marshlun so she could update her training.  

It had taken her a long time to figure out what he had meant—she had the best and most up to date training the Dynasty could produce.  Then she guessed what it was and now walked forward with a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach no amount of rationalization could erase.  She was well aware that the steroids—which could allow an adult immediate access to the Force—were still in development, most of the time they worked, but sometimes …

It did not matter whether she wanted them or not, no matter how she looked at the situation.  She was in too deep; she was not going to get out.  If she refused they would either make her do it anyway or just kill her and get someone else.  She could not let them do that—these children had a chance to do great good for their people but with the wrong handling…

"Quesha, stop doddling!" _Ketchi_ Gu snarled from beneath his hood.  "This is a Chisgon world, there is many here who would turn us over, though it is also a good place to find many who are still dedicated to our cause…"

"Why in the All would we be here otherwise," muttered Quesha, though she said it under her breath.

They left the spaceport as swiftly as they could without rising suspicion.  They were walking for sometime down the bustling avenues of the trade center when Commander Palb staggered briefly in step, though he recovered quickly enough.  Then he continued walking as if nothing had happened he motioned _Ketchi_ Gu forward.

"Tell me, _Ketchi_, is an implant from a Jedi more likely to b effective than the hormone treatment?"

_Ketchi_ Gu shrugged indifferently.  "It depends on how powerful the Jedi was, but yes, that is true.  It is irrelevant however since the expenditure of resources needed to capture a Jedi of such strength is not worth the gains, not if there is an alternative solution with a relatively high probability of success."

"Really?" Palb commented, his eyes drifting across the wide boulevard.  "That's too bad since I am fairly certain that I can see three such Jedi of considerable strength walking across the street."

Mara regarded Cyan in confusion when he unexpectedly stopped mid-step, his brow furrowed in concentration.  "What is it?"

"I…I don't know.  I felt…something," Cyan said vaguely, shaking his head.  "It's gone.  I don't know what it was."

"Honestly, Cyan, sometimes I think you're even more jittery than Luke," Mara commented sardonically.  They were strolling down a street, on their way back to their shuttle after having dinned in one of Marshlun's more reputable Cantinas.  Everyone else who came down to the planet with them was off in the market trying to find a large supply of child sized stools.

"Ha, ha," Luke responded, slipping his arm around her swollen waist and kissing her cheek.  "At least I didn't have to be locked in my room."

"Ha, ha," Mara growled.  "You're never going to let that—ooh!"

"What?" Luke asked concernedly when Mara placed a hand on her stomach and winced.

"Relax, Skywalker," Mara reassured him teasingly.  "Just some indigestion.  That bar certainly served up some spicy food."

Cyan purred in amusement.  "Aren't you supposed to be staying away from spicy foods right now?"

"I also shouldn't be traipsing around strange planets in hostile territory," Mara commented.  "You don't see that stopping me."

"True enough," Cyan agreed, peeking at their surroundings.  This world had a healthy mix of species and as a nice change of pace was rather civilized, though not in any extreme way; a bit like a smaller, cleaner version of Coruscant.  It was fairly crowded, which wasn't surprising when one took into account that this was considered to be one of the most thriving trade centers in Chisgon space.  There were Chiss everywhere but they mingled comfortably with countless other species that seemed common in this area of space, though they were completely foreign to the dragon.  Seeing the seemingly endless streams of people, Cyan suddenly felt a slight chill.  "You know, this world would be so easy to fill with spies…"

Mara directed a scathing glare at the dragon even though the thought had just occurred to her as well.  "Don't you start.  You're supposed to be the _fun _one, remember?"

"Yeah, I think I've been spending too much time with Luke," Cyan muttered, despite the fact that he still felt a slight shiver of unease tickling his spine.

"Cyan…?" Luke asked, feeling his dragons anxiety and scanning the people around him, well aware of his partners astute ability to sense danger.  "What is it?"

Cyan shook his head, sniffing the air and stretching out with the Force, "I'm not sure.  It's just a general feeling of dread."

"It couldn't just be a _very_ general feeling of dread, could it?" Mara asked hopefully.  "You know, just generally feeling crappy that there's a war going on, crappy that we're out in the middle of no where, crappy that…"

"Mara…" Cyan interrupted, frowning at her.

Mara sighed and gave up.  "Yeah, I didn't think so.  So what is it?  Spies, assassins—hey!  Maybe it's even some unreconstructed storm troopers!  Haven't dealt with any of those in a while, might actually be fun…"

"Mara!" Luke exclaimed, looking slightly flustered as Cyan continued to scan the inhabitants.

"What?  So, someone's planning to kill us.  That just means it's Tuesday."

"Son of a sith—" Luke muttered, taking her arm and leading toward the docking bay where their ship lie berthed.  "C'mon, maybe they haven't realized we know they're out there yet."

"Whoever or whatever it is that is after us," Mara commented, grunting at the swift pace Luke had set, but determined not to let it bother her.  "Perhaps we should find out before we do something stupid."

Luke shook his head, "No, actually I was thinking of getting my pregnant wife out of a potentially dangerous situation as quickly as possible."

"Yes, love, I agree, but if you would just slow down for a second and a half I think it might be a good idea for us to come up with a better plan besides turning tail and bolting," Mara suggested.  "They've probably accounted for the fact that we can sense danger and have something waiting for us ahead."

Luke stopped and faced her, taking a deep breath to calm himself.  "You're right, of course you're right."  He sighed.  "Fine, you have any ideas?"

"Maybe figure out what this danger is first," Mara answered.  She gestured vaguely to the bystanders around them.  "Do we even know it's a person?  Maybe someone planted a bomb or a surveillance device.  I mean, why would the Force give us a hint if there was no way to prevent what's coming?"

"I think it's people.  I definitely feel some conscious intent.  But there was a spike earlier, that's what caught my attention," Cyan explained.

"Like they'd just seen us and weren't expecting too," Luke commented, reviewing his dragon's memories.  "Hmmm, I think I've got a plan.  Cyan, you usually don't notice a subtle threat if it's aimed at anyone else besides yourself or me, right?"

"Usually, no," Cyan said slowly, realizing his _padmiri_'s intention's and not liking them one bit.  "But—"

"Right, if you take Mara and go back to the ship, I'll draw them off.  I saw a construction site in the North end of the city when we were flying in, I can loose them there.  If there is any trouble, just get Mara back to the ship and then come after me," Luke explained.

"_What_?!" Mara exclaimed.  "No, oh no, no, no!  This is a bad idea, Luke, there's no way I'm—"

Luke interrupted her by taking her by the shoulders and gently shaking her, "Mara, Mara!  Calm down, it'll be all right.  I don't thinks there's a lot of them, whoever it is, and I can take care of myself.  You get yourself and your belly out of here."

"How do you know they'll go after just you and not me?" Mara demanded, her voice harsh in frustration.

"The Cragon would never harm a child, even if they're unborn," Cyan said in acerbic defeat.  "C'mon."  He dipped his shoulder and Mara clambered only a little awkwardly into his saddle.  She'd barely settled before Cyan was off, spurred on more by his _padmiri_'s worry than any actual desire to go, precluding any further remarks Mara might have thought up.

Luke watched them for just a moment then slipped over to the edge of the sidewalk where he would be much more easy to see.  Just to make sure he had been spotted, Luke crossed the road, glancing furtively over his shoulder in his best imitation of a holo drama spy.  He made it to the other side of the street yet nothing happened, though the vague sense of danger seemed to have followed him and left Mara and Cyan alone.  He breathed a little easier and concentrated on finding his way to the construction site.

He started his search, trying to keep the sun at his left and trusting the Force to keep him going in the correct direction.  He reached the construction site after about twenty minutes of travel through the maze that was Marshlun's capital, Malsrapminder, and now he could definitely feel several Cragon presences following him.  He ducted into a half-finished building and set about trying to lose his pursuers.

Mara and Cyan were almost back to the shuttle when the dragon skidded to a halt so abruptly that Mara would have gone sailing had his neck not been there for her to ram into.

"Cyan, you _do_ know that it's not good for the babies when they get smashed up against your spine, right?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing her bruised tummy.

"Sorry, but Luke—he's trapped!" Cyan said, looking at her over his shoulder.  "He can hold out for now but he needs my help."

"Well, alright, let's go," Mara said, giving him a squeeze more out of reflex than any real belief that such an action could move the dragon if he did not wish to be moved.

Cyan shook his head and dipped his shoulder as he had done earlier.  "No, Mara, you can make it back to the ship from here.  I've alerted the others.  Miko will make sure you get back and the rest will follow after me."

"You're kidd—" Mara choked on the objection mid-word and swallowed the rest when Cyan threw her an unmistakable expression that seemed to say _I locked you up before, I'll do it again but your way just takes longer_.  Mara clamped her mouth shut and carefully slid down his extended arm to land heavily on the ground.

"Well get him back, don't worry," Cyan said with a supportive smile, then leaped into the air, circled once and was gone.

Mara watched him go for a moment, undecided.  She knew she should wait for Miko and head back to the ship but there was a niggling feeling in the back of her head that was urging her to do something.  She concentrated on that feeling and caught a brief image of Luke spinning around, presenting his back to the energy blast being directed at him as if he was protecting something and then the image was wiped away by a blinding flash of verdant light.

Mara snapped back to herself with a start and quickly glanced about.  Miko still had not arrived which meant she was the closest Jedi besides Cyan and something told her he would not be able to stop this vision from becoming reality.  Making her decision Mara wasted no time and started northward, unclipping her lightsaber from her belt as she tried not to think about how much that final flash of green light reminder her of Cragon blaster fire and repeating, "Why would the Force give us a hint if there was no was to prevent what's coming?"

Commander Palb quickly motioned several officers to secure the corridor to his right while he remained just behind a corner, blaster drawn.  There had been no time for them to take Quesha and the children to the base so they—along with a few extra caregivers—remained with him while he sent the paltry few officers available to gain control of the half built structure they managed to herd Skywalker into.  They were in a relatively safe place; Skywalker was one man, after all, and he had been caught before; they would stop him long before he reached this level of the building.  For the time being the Jedi had played right into their hands, a fact which made Palb very nervous. If he had learned anything from the debacle in Undally, it was that Jedi never behaved exactly as you expected; it was only a matter of time before he would take off in some unconventional tactic that no one would see coming or understand for that matter until it was all over.  Palb was determined that he would not give Skywalker the chance.  He _could not_ give Skywalker the chance.

Glancing behind him Palb breathed a small sigh of relief.  Skywalker had been smart enough to get his wife out of danger as soon as he sensed trouble.  Admiral Tarckok may not have had any qualms about jeopardizing someone in the late stages of pregnancy, but Palb did.  It was the reason he had been given the Undally outpost in the first place, and was glad to take it.  Everyone at the outpost had been able to see how unhappy the Skywalker child was, but the hierarchy did not seem overly interested in protecting non-Cragon children.  Palb was not sure he was quite comfortable with the concept but fortunately the problem had removed itself all on its own.

Palb's comlink beeped and he received a hurried report of another Jedi swiftly cutting their way upward, following Skywalker's trail.  From the panicked tone of the officer and the distant hum of a lightsaber in the background Palb suddenly realized that there probably would not be anyone around from those floors to help out when Skywalker finally made a mistake.  He sighed and returned his comlink to his belt; that was just what he needed.

Palb peeked around the corner and then swiftly pulled back when he caught a flash of movement flittering into one of the doorways.  Damn!  How in the All did he make it all the way up here?  Things were unraveling far to swiftly for Palb's liking.  "Skwalker's on the way," Palb whispered into his comlink to the officers down the hall.  He received a click in reply and then nothing.  Now it was just a matter of waiting until Skywalker finally made his move.

Luke pushed his body as deeply into the doorway as it would go, cursing silently to himself.  He knew he was being herded, yet there did not seemed to be any way out of the trap, though nothing told him that this was the wrong path at the moment.  He knew he was right were he was supposed to be but as for what he was supposed to do now he had no clue.

He sighed in defeat and let his head fall back against the wall.  He glanced up at the ceiling and froze, then almost had to choke down a laugh.  He could sense that Cyan was circling the building and the other Jedi were just a few minutes behind on foot.  It would be tough for the other Jedi to reach him in time, especially if there were as many Cragon in the building as he thought.  Cyan, on the other hand, could just come in through the conveniently placed skylight situated just overhead.

He felt a flash of alarm and a surge in the Force from somewhere below him and gave an appreciative grunt.  One of the Jedi had already managed to get here.  He ignored them for now, figuring someone had just taken off on their own and had been closer than the others.

Suddenly the sound of shattering glass and blaster fire echoed from further down the corridor.  Risking a quick look Luke saw some Cragon officers firing through another skylight and suddenly he saw an image from Cyan of him flying just over it trying to draw their fire.  Now was his chance to get out of the Cragons' carefully laid trap.  Taking another look out he saw a side passage not too far away that he might be able to reach, while Cyan kept the other officers occupied down the hall.  He could see natural light streaming out of the side hallway and guessed there would be another skylight for him to escape out of.  He could tell there were Cragon in that direction but his sense of them was still too new; he was not sure how far away they were.  Taking a deep breath and trusting in the Force to see him through he sprinted to the corridor.

He slipped around the corner and skidded to a stop face to face with a middle-aged Cragon whose blaster, though pulled, was not quite aimed at him as if he had been waited for Luke but was caught just as off guard by Luke's move as the Jedi was to find the officer there.  Luke swung his lightsaber to bear just as the officer got his barrel in line with his intended target, yet he did not shoot.  They both stood unmoving, Luke trying to figure out why the Cragon was not firing.  Then he glanced to the side and his eyes widened slightly; there were about a dozen children huddled around several women, staring at him with large eyes, some of which seemed familiar.  He could not for the life of him figure out where he could have seen these kids before when he felt a spike in the Force of the children instinctually throwing up mental shields.  These, then, were the children from Undally, the Force sensitive children Ben had been placed with.

Luke wanted time to figure out what in space they were doing in the middle of a firefight, but there was no time.  The Cragon in front of him was talking.

"Give yourself up, Jedi.  You're surrounded; there's no way out.  Don't make me fire on you in front of these children," he said with a heavy accent and slightly more bravado than Luke felt was called for.

"You'd get one shot off—which by the way I can easily deal with—then I would cut your blaster in too and be on my way," Luke told him frankly.  "Besides, you think I'd be dumb enough to come here alone?"

His comment was followed by the eerie sound of hissing followed by screams of pain as Cyan spat acid from his gullet onto the unfortunate soldiers down the hall.  Palb listened to this and swallowed, weighing his options.  The Jedi was right, Palb probably could not stop him; he might have tried to call other officers from a lower level to cut him off but the second Jedi was still making their way up, disabling unheard of amounts of troops on thier way—that was what he got for trusting a newly formed planetary resistance to supply backup men.  He looked at the woman and children beside him, wishing he had thought to arm the caregivers with blasters and wondering how he could have miscalculated this Jedi's abilities once again.  They should not have even been brought into this and now if Skywalker got away Palb would be shot for sure.  Especially if he decided to do something to the kids on the way out…

"If I let you go, will you let these children go as well?" Palb demanded suddenly.

Luke blinked, he had not even contemplated attempting to take the children, as much as a threat as they might one day become.  Then he realized the officer's thoughts had come up with something a great deal more sinister.  "Yes, of course," Luke said, lowering his guard a little.  It was then that he sensed the other Jedi coming up the hallway.  It was—

"What!" Luke exclaimed, so stunned he let his guard drop and twisted around to look and make sure he had not just guessed wrong.  The officer reacted swiftly, keeping his blaster trained on Luke and firing as soon as his attention became distracted.  Luke twisted his shoulder backwards just in time to avoid the bolt, then rushed back into the corridor.  The officer was right behind him, lining up for another shot.  Luke ignored him, all he could see before him was Mara, out in the open, an expression of shock that almost surpassed his own.  No, he decided in the split second before he reached her, not shock but fear.

Mara crept along the corridor, listening intently to the fighting going on ahead.  She rounded a bend just in time to watch a Cragon soldier get yanked up through a skylight by a sinewy sapphire arm.  Those soldiers who had not yet been dragged onto the roof or scored by dragon acid were firing single-mindedly at their ferocious opponent.  Figuring they were distracted for the time being Mara made her way swiftly down the hall just as Luke darted from a doorway down another corridor.  She heard his exclamation along with someone else's and the _snap-hiss_ of a lightsaber being ignited.  Muttering under her breath Mara stepped up her pace, hoping she could get there before Luke got himself shot.  The vision still hovered in the back of her mind and she hopped desperately that it was not already happening.  Then she paused, realizing that it seemed to happen in the hallway she was in and that Luke had just left.  She breathed a sigh of relief, figuring she had averted whatever it was the Force had tried to warn her about.  She would never know now, she supposed, an ignorance she was more than happy to take to her grave.  Those words suddenly struck her as rather ominous and her stomach tightened in swift tension.  Shrugging the thought off as nervousness she started forward again.

"Yes, of course," she heard Luke say and then she felt his presence brush against her own along with his abrupt spike of astonishment to find her there. "What!"

Luke peeked around the corner, saw her, then twisted to avoid a blaster bolt that should have taken his shoulder clean off.  Then he was back in the corridor with her and suddenly it was the vision all over again, just in time for Mara to realize her complete folly.  Her stomach made such a violent lurch when she fully comprehended what was about to happen that for a moment she could not move.  Then Luke's hands were grasping her arms, spinning her out of the line of fire, presenting his back to the blaster swiftly tracking towards them.  After that Mara could no longer see what was going on for the verdant light that blinded her.

  


Chapter XVII

"Ben?  What are you doing out here, kiddo?  We're about to serve breakfast inside.  Aren't you going to eat?"

Ben turned around at the sound of Corran's voice.  "G' morning, Master Horn.  G' morning, Ollie."

"Hi, Ben!  Aren't you hungry?" Olive asked cheerfully as he carefully took Corran up the rocky slop beside the waterfall that sprinkled a pleasant perpetual mist all over Haven base.  The emerald dragon's almost came up to Corran's shoulder now—Valin  had started to joke that instead of leading him, Olive could save time by just giving him a ride everywhere he wanted to go.

Ben shrugged and made room on the large bolder he was sitting on.  "I guess.  I'm just happy."

"Happy?  What about?  Oh yeah, your mom and dad are coming to visit with the new stools today, that's right," Corran guessed as he sat down gingerly beside the young boy.

Been shook his head.  "No, silly, that's not it.  They come back anyway.  I'm happy 'cause my new brother and sister come today too."

"What?" Corran asked, straightening so swiftly he almost knocked Olive off his perch beside him.  "Ben, are you sure?  You're mom's not due for another month."

"Yup, they come right now," Ben said, yet Corran thought he heard a surprising amount of hesitation from a child who had been eagerly awaiting his new siblings' arrival for quite some time.  "Are you nervous?"

"I think somethin' gonna go wrong.  But I no know what," Ben said quietly.

Corran frowned, hoping Mara wasn't having the same difficulty with this pregnancy as the last.  They had taken so many precautions medically this time, everyone was hoping for the best…  "Well, why don't you come inside and we'll see if uncle Han can't get a hold of _Biarn_ and we can find out what's really going on."

*          *          *

Mara heard Luke cry out in pain just as her back slammed into a wall and her abdomen tightened still further.  She heard Cyan's compassionate shriek from down the hallway and the shouts of the Cragon as the dragon's attack changed from being naught but a distraction to a violent retaliation.  Mara blinked the green light from her eyes and was met by Luke's face, still carrying an expression of surprise and confusion, but now laced through with pain.  Suddenly his legs folded underneath him almost as an afterthought; Mara tried to support them both but her stomach gave yet another lurch and she could not hold both their weight.  It was then that she realized that it was not just nervousness or spicy foods that were giving her indigestion.  They hit the floor in an unruly heap, Luke moaning in pain and Mara hissing between her teeth.

"Why can't I just go into labor in the wee hours of the morning like normal people," Mara snarled.

Luke blinked, still recovering from the shock and the blaster wound.  He looked at her, sensing her pain through his own.  "What—_ah_!" he cried when he tried to sit up.  His back felt like it was on fire.

"I'm sorry, Luke," Mara said, pushing him down to the floor again.  "I'm so sorr—" she interrupted herself with a gasp of astonishment when she could finally see the blaster being pointed at her face.  She looked up at the owner and tried to force down another groan when the muscles in her abdomen contracted even more painfully than before.  The Cragon holding the blaster looked pale (so far as Mara could tell) and sweat trickled down his face as if he was just as much at a loss for what to do as she.

"Please," Mara bit out, forcing down a cry and gesturing toward her swollen belly.  "Please, let us go.  These babies are coming—_ugh_!—and I can't have them here.  There was—_mnuh_!—complications last time, they'll probably happen again.  They might not make it if I don't get to a med center—_ah_!"  The last contraction was so strong she could not restrain the scream.  Suddenly she felt Luke's hand grasp her own as he sent a wave of strength in her direction.  She took it gladly although she could feel some emotion he was trying to keep hidden from her that disrupted the flow between their bond.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a mortal shriek and the sound of rendered flesh.  She looked beyond the Cragon just in time to see Cyan land behind Palb, the dragon arching his head and releasing a wicked growl.

"Try anything and I shoot!" Palb proclaimed, though his voice and his hand were shaking.

Cyan screamed and unfurled his wings, filling the corridor with his sylphlike body.  "Shoot and dying will be the least of your problems!"

"Palb!" a voice called from the adjacent corridor.  "Palb, let them go!"

"Ye should be listenin' te Quesha, Palb!" another voice called with an accent similar to that of Harsa's long dead wife.  "Thar be babies a commin'!  The curse of the All on ye ifin' any harm be commin' te dem!"

There were more shouts of agreement from the hallway and Palb swallowed in indecision.  "You know I'm dead either way, dragon.  I kill the Skywalker bitch and I rid my people of one of their most hated enemies, then you kill me.  My superiors'll praise me but I'm dead so I don't really care.  On the other hand I could let you all go, and then I'm court-martialed and executed for needlessly throwing away the lives of my people for no apparent gain.  Plus I'm hated by my people but I'm dead so I still don't care."

"There's a third option, Commmander," Luke whispered, swiftly loosing consciousness.  "Come with us."

"Listen to him, Palb!" Quesha called, inching around the corner and holding herself flat against the wall to avoid Cyan's thrashing wings.  If she could just convince him to let the Jedi take them, she would be all right and the kids might go beyond being the weapons of war they were intended to be.  "I think these are good people, Palb.  Really, think about this whole stupid affair, this needless war we started up because we can't get past something that happened so long ago we're not even sure what actually occurred."

"These people destroyed the dream of _our _people, Quesha!," Palb responded, remembering the words of _Ketchi_ Gu when he'd voiced concerns over the Skywalker child.

"What have these Jedi got to do with all that?" Quesha demanded.  "They barely knew anything about what happened to us.  Had they known I think they just might have come out and helped us if we'd let them.  They already help out cousins without a second thought and we—who are going against all of the traditions that out peoples' strife taught us—call _them_ monsters!"  Quesha was very near Palb now, close enough to see a bead of sweat dangling from his chin thought the building was climate enough.  "Please, Palb!  If it were just them you know it wouldn't matter but she's with child!  There's the future, right there in her belly!  Destroy the future and destroy us all.  I'm sure you've heard the Elders quote that proverb more times than you can count!  Don't you see?  _That's_ the dream of our people.  We're getting so caught up in revenge that we're forgetting the thing dearest to us, more dear to us than our lives we are found to boast, yet now we're turning our backs on that.  The children are what we've stood for as a people, as a society for all these years, the _future_, everything points to it, Palb, don't—"

"Stop," Palb said softly, lowering his gun.  "Just stop."  He let his arm drop to his side, the blaster clattering to the floor.  "It doesn't matter to me.  Like I said, I'm already dead."

Luke tried to pay attention to what was happening around him but it was becoming more and more difficult.  His head was buzzing and pain was shooting up his back from the wound, yet no lower.  Beneath the wound he could feel nothing, could move nothing.  One of the women who he had seen with the children was talking now but after his last statement he no longer had the ability to pay attention.  He thought he heard the Cragon commander say something then the blaster clattered to the floor somewhere near Luke's head.  He felt a sudden flurry of commotion around him, Mara calling his name and Cyan trying desperately to keep him conscience, but to no avail.

"Is he awake?"

"He comes in and out.  The wound cauterized but I think he tore it open when he fell."

"Is he going to be ok?"

"Probably, but it's going to take a very long time for him to regain all of his mobility."

"Great stars, how could this happen?  He's not supposed to get hurt—"

"No, he's _supposed_ to live until a certain time.  We don't know how long from now that is or what condition he's supposed to be in when he gets there.  We can't let ourselves think he's immortal because he certainly is not."

"I suppose.  Oh, there you are Cyan!  How did this happen?  Mara was supposed to be heading back to the ship, wasn't she?  What in the universe possessed her to—"

"Mara had her own reasons, I'm sure.  She might regret them latter but we've got other problems to deal with in the mean time."

"How's _she_ doing?"

"The twins are well on their way.  Seems they're even more impatient to get out than their mother was to have them."

"What's going to happen, Cyan?"

"Huh?"

"What's going to happen now, with everything I mean?"

"I really couldn't tell you.  Just…take it as it comes from now on.  We've already been informed that the future is taken care of, we just forgot to keep an eye out for the present."

  


Chapter XVIII

"Cyan?"

"I'm here, Luke," Cyan said, lifting his head from the floor and blinking sleepily, though with much relief at seeing Luke conscience.  "Don't try and sit up."

"I can't!" Luke gasped hoarsely.

Cyan crooned soothingly and flicked Luke's cheek with the tip of his tongue to distract him.  "It's ok, you got shot in the back, remember?  It hit your spine and you've been temporarily paralyzed.  You had to have part of your spinal cord replaced, it's just going to take some time for your body to figure out how to communicate with it," Cyan explained, purring approvingly as Luke calmed down.  "Spinal cord replacements are a wee bit more complicated than, say a hand for instance."

Luke gave a little chuckle and rubbed his dragon's snout.  Suddenly he remembered.  "How's Mara?"

"Sleeping," Cyan said evenly.

Luke caught the funny tone in Cyan's voice and felt him holding something back.  "And…?"

"…And the babies are fine, a little small but that was expected.  Otherwise they're as healthy as can be."

"_And_…?" Luke demanded, his voice strengthening.

"…And Mara had a hard time of it again.  She lost a lot of blood again but…two of the Cragons, two of the women who were with those kids, turns out they're some of the highest trained midwives in the Cragon Dynasty.  They came in and helped as a gesture of good will and as a bit of an apology for putting the babies in danger in the first place.  Cilghal said they probably saved Mara's life."

"But she's going to be ok, right?" Luke pressed.

Cyan purred again, this time in mild amusement.  "Come now, Luke, do you really think she'd go out _that_ easily?"

Luke chuckled again and conceded the point.  "So, where are we?"

"Orbiting Haven.  The twins will have to go down there of course, Mara too.  And we figured you might as well go with them until you get your legs back.  We wanted to wait until you woke up to decide who would be left in charge of _Bairn_," Cyan explained.

"Well, look who finally decided to rejoin the land of the living!" a familiar voice abruptly called from the doorway.

"Han!" Luke exclaimed, smiling at his brother-in-law and remembering just in time not to sit up.  "Wait, who's that behind you?  Leia!"

Leia strode in behind her husband and swiftly walked to her brother to take his outstretched hand in her own.  "Hello, you!  So, what's all this ruckus you've been causing?  Half the Jedi on the ship are so flustered they don't know what to do with themselves!"

"Just when we could really use having Mara around to tell everyone to get a hold of themselves she decides to off and go into labor—timing of a woman, eh kid?" Han joked.

"Yeah," Luke said, though his voice was decidedly ambiguous.

"What is it?" Leia asked, catching his expression.

"I—" he glanced at Leia, seeing how closely she was inspecting him with her eyes and the Force.  He sighed and gave up any pretence of hiding his feelings.  "Does anyone know why Mara was even there?  I sent her back to the ship, I can't believe she would—"

"Believe it," Han interrupted, putting his hands in his pockets and looking uncomfortable.  "She, ah, she wasn't to cognizant around the end of the delivery, but before she went under she told Cilghal she had a vision of you getting shot.  She thought she had to stop it, but she didn't realize it was really warning her not to go."

Luke let the air out of his lungs in a rush.  He let his head drop back onto the pillow but made no response.

"Kid?" Han prompted when the silence seemed likely to drag on for some time.  "You ok?"

"What?  Yeah, yeah I'm fine, I guess.  It's just…she has more sense than that.  I don't—" Luke paused, struggling to put into words the feelings that were whirling around within him.  "I guess I'm just a little disappointed in her.  I can see how she could have gotten confused, but name the stars, she _knows_ better!  She knows to look harder than the surface vision because that rarely is what it initially seems."  Luke stopped, realizing what he had been about to say and mulled over it for a second, not wanting to speak ill of his wife unless he actually meant it—and he desperately did not want to mean this.  Yet there really was no other conclusion he could draw, though there might be innumerable reasons for her behavior.  He knew for sure at least one of them.  "It's like she was looking for an excuse to go rushing into a battle zone, babies or no babies," he said, the last words coming out quietly, tasting bitter on his lips.

"Luke!" Leia exclaimed, astounded.  "I don't think Mara could be that stubborn or brash."

Cyan shook his head, though he too was a bit shaken by his _padmiri_'s conclusion.  "Last time we got in to a battle I had to lock her in her quarters to keep her out of direct danger."

"Still, she was in the early stages of labor when she decided to go after you.  From what I've seen, that does funny things to a woman's mental processes," Han said.  Leia elbowed him in the side and he shrugged as he rubbed his bruised kidney.

"Yeah, I guess," Luke agreed, though not very whole heartily and the unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach (he found himself inadvertently pleased that he could still feel that far down) did not quite dissipate.  "That probably had a lot to do with it.  I'm not going to worry.  It's over, I'll recover, she'll recover—" he paused to send a stern glare at his dragon which was return with equal power and a strong rebuke for his doubt, "—and lessoned learned for everyone."

Leia exchanged expressions with Han, neither believing the glib toss off of Luke's concerns.  After studying his face again for a moment, Leia decided that for now it might be best to change the subject.  "So, isn't anyone going to ask me why I'm here and not shouting myself croaky in a Council meeting?"

"Actually, now that you mention it…" Cyan commented, silently thanking her for the distraction.

"She got suspended," Han said with a lop-sided grin.

"Huh?" now it was Luke's turn to trade glances with Cyan.  "How?"

"I hit Councilor Blacksky," Leia told them indifferently.

Cyan barked and incredulous laugh, "You _what_?"

"I hit her.  She was rude," Leia said, shrugging.

Cyan's grin suddenly turned around, his voice now offended, "And you didn't think to invite me?"

"I'll remember next time, I promise," Leia assured him.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute," Luke broke in, ever so slightly aghast "before we plan your next attack, why don't you tell us why you hit her in the first place?"

"I told you, she was rude."

"She's rude every time she opens her mouth, sweetie," Han pointed out.  "You need to be more specific."

Leia sighed and shrugged as if surprised that they thought this was such a big deal.  "She made some comments, some particularly heinous comments about the Jedi, myself, my family, humans, and some rather irrelevant things about our mother.  She wouldn't shut up, so I did it for her."

"_Leia_!" Luke exclaimed, appalled at her callous tone.  "You really should have restrained yourself, I don't care what she said.  With you off the Council, even temporarily—"

"—will do nothing at all.  While I was there I was a small rallying point for those who supported our cause and an irritant to those who oppose it.  Kicking me off has turned me into a bit of a living martyr.  If I can come back eventually with some evidence that the Cragon are a threat—evidence that I can present to the Council and the Senate—then I can do something constructive.  Right now I'm just blowing a lot of hot air," Leia remarked sardonically.

Luke looked at his sister, slightly flustered and then let out another tense breath.  "I don't think I like this.  Well, at least you can keep an eye on things until I'm on my feet again."

"That I can do," Leia assured him.  "Say, speaking of keeping an eye on things, there's one in particular I'd like to eye.  Where's my nephew?  I haven't even met him yet!"

"He's with Chewie being introduced the twins," Han said.

"Are they supposed to be all small like that?" Ben asked.

Chewie honked and nodded as he held Ben up so he could look at his brand new brother and sister while they lay sleeping in an incubator.  Behind them Mara was in a similar state, exhausted from the labor so much so that almost an entire day had passed since she had last awakened.

"I know their names," Ben said a little smugly, keeping his voice in as soft a whisper as he could, afraid to wake any member of his family, new or old.  Chewie warbled in surprise since as far as he knew neither Luke nor Mara had decided on anything yet.  When Chewie prompted him to elaborate Ben frowned a little, as he was apt to do when he had seen something that amazed or confused him.  "Yesterday I was watchin' the waterfall 'cause I felt like going outside.  I just sorta listin' to the water an it said that my bother an' sister were comin' but somethin' bad's gonna happen.  The water said … it said somethin' weird an' I didn't understand.  Then it said that their names were Sorcha and Shane and everyone's gonna know them."

Chewie raised his brows and woofed, finally understanding what Han meant when he called Ben "slightly on the spacey side".  Then he rumbled another question and Ben frowned a little harder.  "The other thing the water said was … somethin' about a—a rift?  Said a 'rift had been made'.  I no know what a rift is, but that's what the water said."

"The waterfall told my son that a 'rift had been made'?" Luke repeated slowly when Chewie told him about it later that night after Ben was put to bed.  Mara was still asleep thought the twins definitely were not, and from the good-natured complaining of the nurses they did not seem to have any intention of going back to bed.  Chewie nodded that Luke had it right.

"Named them too, has he?" Cyan commented, a little fed up with the serious tone that had become the norm of the day.  He knew everything was about to go down hill in a hurry, he just didn't see the point in mulling over _all_ the portents of doom.  "Pretty lippy waterfall we have here.  We'd better learn that darn spitter some manners."

Luke threw his dragon a tired expression.  "Cyan, I know you don't want to deal with this but we don't have a choice."

"Yes we do," Cyan argued stubbornly.  "We could just sit here and play sabbac until the end comes.  Probably be a lot more fun."

"Not if you play against Lando," Leia warned him.

"If that happens I'll be sure to bet the _Falcon_."

"_Guys_!" Luke exclaimed, exasperated.  "My son is hearing voices from a waterfall."

Han scratched the back of his head, though he too was starting to share the dragon's opinion on the situation.  "Yeah, I guess some parents might get concerned by that, but keep in mind he's a _Jedi_ kid.  I'm sure all kinds of landforms talk to him.

"_Han!_"

"Sorry.  So what were you saying Chewie?"

Chewie repeated the message then asked Luke if he knew what it might mean.  Luke shook his head then froze and muttered something to himself.

"What was that?" Leia asked.

"Nothing," Luke answered a little too quickly, suddenly whishing he had let the matter drop.  "Just freaking myself out."

Han lifted a disbelieving eyebrow.  "I think you've had enough experience with things that are _supposed_ to freak you out to know it when you come across it."

"Do you remember what Yeswa said to us, before the Cragon took him?" Luke asked, his voice sounding sickly.  " 'Jaded Fire and the Son of Suns cannot separate!'"

Everyone traded glances, not following Luke's line of thought.  It was Leia who spoke up, "Luke, if that refers to you and Mara like I think it does, then don't worry about it.  She's in the next room over, you can talk to her as soon as she wakes up."

"I don't know, Leia," Luke whispered, hugging his arms around himself and settling back deeper into the pillows he was propped up against.  "It's like I can feel her withdrawn from me.  I don't know if it's because she's unconscious, she angry, I'm angry or if I'm just imagining things."

Cyan purred dismissively at his _padmiri_'s concerns, though he too could sense what he was feeling, or rather the lack there of.  "Luke, Mara is too logical to let something like this concern her for too long, and you're too compassionate to let this come between you.  Just wait until she's awake, you'll see, things'll be fine."

At length Mara awoke in the wee hours of the morning.

Her face was turned towards the small view port imbedded in the wall adjacent from her bed.  _Bairn_ reached the terminator line of Haven just as Mara opened her eyes, greeting her with a brilliant, almost blinding flash of light.  Once she blinked the lethargic radiance away she watched as the system's sun, relatively young by galactic standards, lighted on a crystal clear ocean and tropical island chain that peppered Haven's surface.  She didn't move, didn't dare more, didn't dare break the spell.  Her room was quiet, the sounds of the various monitors and other medical equipment weirdly subdued.  It was the quiet of space, the quiet of death.  She could almost imagine herself floating outside the ship where everything was silent, her breathing, her heartbeat, her exploding body, then that inner voice, that stupid, logical, methodical inner voice would have to be silent as well…

She felt Luke reach out for her; it was a groggy touch as he was obviously still asleep.  He did it more out of reflex, only knowing that she was upset and he was to comfort her.  A Jedi's equivalent to a pat on the shoulder that seemed to mumble, "It's nothing, dear, go back to sleep."  Mara wanted no such thing.

She shut him out completely and rolled away from the dazzling beauty before her, no longer wanting any part of that either, wanting no part of the cradles at the foot of her bed.  Both were promises of wondrous things to come and she could never have a part of that . . . even if she wanted too.

D E S T I N Y  

S U N D E R E D

  


Chapter XIX

**Sixty-Nine standard weeks later.**

The electrical scream of a lightsaber slashing through hot air made Leia's eyebrows scrunch together as she strode down the hall towards _Bairn_'s exercise center.   There was a shriek of metal being super heated and severed and then the oddly soft sound of feet landing lightly on an exercise mate.  Leia rounded the corner just in time to see Mara leap into the air, her body twisting as she swung her lightsaber around her in a flowing curve that passed through the training target.  She landed with her back facing the smoking target and though her lower body stayed still her arms continued the motion of the turn but twisted it to bring her lightsaber blade to swing around behind her and stab her target once again.

"Wow, how do you do it?" Leia asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Mara turned to face her, only now aware that her sister-in-law was there.  "Oh, I didn't hear you come in."

"I noticed," Leia commented.  "Still, I don't know how you find the time."

Mara frowned.  "What, to practice?  I always find time to practice.  You should too."

Leia smiled and shrugged.  For once she wasn't dressed in an elaborate gown.  For the moment she was wearing a simple gray and blue jump suit, the sort of thing that she often had on during the Rebellion.  It was much more comfortable as she helped Mara take care of organizing the day to day life on _Bairn_ and the planning of the various missions they carried out.  "Never mind.  Have you talked to Luke today?"

Mara looked up quickly at Leia then returned her eyes to the power settings on her lightsaber and was suddenly very involved with setting them just right.  "Not yet.  I . . . had to finish my daily exercises and then go through my notes for the day.  Probably at lunch I'll call."

"Right," Leia said, sighing inwardly.  "I hear Sorcha's learned a new word.  You must be proud, she seems to quite the intelligent little girl."

Mara looked up quickly again but this time didn't meet Leia's gaze.  "I, uh, actually haven't heard.  With the Ballanie skirmish and all the cleanup, I haven't talked to Luke for a while."

"Ah," Leia said, nodding in understanding though she did not really feel it.  Now it was the Ballanie cleanup, before the Tochu negotiations and every other little incident for the past seventeen months.

"What she say?"  Mara asked briskly, abruptly putting her lightsaber back on her belt and striding towards the door, calling a towel to her hand as she walked.

Leia watched her, almost not successful in keeping the concern off her face.  "Hydrospaner.  Han couldn't have been happier, she's already helping him fix things on the _Falcon_."

"That's wonderful," Mara said, stopping to smile at Leia, though it came off as the kind of smile one gives to a mother bragging about her child, not a mother hearing about her own.  "She and Jaina will probably get along famously."

Leia smiled back, trying not to look like she was choking.  "They do, when Jaina visits."

"You'd think she'd be too busy, what with working on that new squadron she's trying to put together," Mara commented on her way out.

Leia shrugged and then said evenly, "She always finds time to visit.  You should too."

There was the barest pause in Mara's steps before she responded, "Jaina has a lot less on her mind than I."

Leia didn't say anything until Mara was out of earshot and then it was only to comment softly, "In that we agree."

___________________

 Thousands of light-years away, so did someone else, though he might not have been as diplomatic about it if he had the choice.

"Do you think she's going to call today?"

"I wish you'd stop asking me that every morning," Luke commented to his brother, gripping an ivory cane in his right hand while the other gripped Han's lower arm for support.  They were slowly making their way to the mess hall, but it did not bother Luke.  He was simply thrilled that he could walk.  Something he attributed to one person.  

Prawl, one of the Cragon—no, Luke corrected himself, Chisgon—they picked up on Marshlun turned out to be a physiotherapist.  Admittedly she had been trained for children, yet that still made her just as skilled as one of their medics if not better.  She spent all mid-morning working with Luke to retrain his legs before tending to the other injured Jedi and volunteers that were recovering on Haven.  All of the newly converted Chisgon had thrown themselves into helping the Jedi.  When Luke asked why one day, Prawl had answered in her usual enigmatic fashion that the Cragon ideal was not as solidly adhered to as those on top would like.

Though he tried to press the subject then and at later dates Prawl was ever reluctant to elaborate so he let it drop and would throw himself back into his lessons with all the vigor and determination at his disposal.  Once he was healed he could return to _Bairn_, where Mara was and refused to leave.

He was sure he was just as terrified of that event as she was.

He wasn't sure what frightened Mara so much lately, though he knew she was scared of something.  Leia was sure she was repressing guilt over what she had done; Han thought it was something similar though he put it much less kindly.  Yet Luke knew as surely as he knew anything that she was simply afraid.  Unfortunately, she was too afraid to admit her fear to herself or anyone who could help her.  So she stayed afraid.

Why was he afraid?  He had had a long time to sort that out and now could at least admit it to himself and Cyan—which was just as well since Cyan would know anyway— however he could say it to no other.  He would not lie if asked, he just hoped no one would.  For the most part, oddly enough, his hope had been realized.

Until now.

"It shouldn't be a problem.  I should ask and you should say, 'oh, yeah, sure Han.  She calls everyday.  She is my wife and mother to my children—'"

"Don't," Luke stopped his slow progress towards the head table, though he knew he would regret losing what little forward momentum he had managed to gather, "don't start in like that, Han.  I'm just not in a mood to hear it."

Han regarded his best friend for a moment then commented, "When could one be _in_ the mood for discussing this sort of thing?  You can't be, you just bite the blaster bolt and deal with it.  Or you can ignore it like you are, which is fun but probably has its draw backs."

"That's not what I meant," Luke said through gritted teeth as he forced his legs to move again.  He had a set of braces he could put on that helped him control his legs, but they were in his room and he really didn't want to have to wear them unless he had too.  He'd never realized the joy of walking without mechanical aid until now, and he wasn't about to jilt himself of the pleasure.  "I meant . . . I don't know, not here."

"Kid, by the time we reach the table, there won't be anyone left in the room," Han commented sardonically, though he still patiently kept pace.

Luke tried to think of an appropriately sarcastic rejoinder but upon looking at the semi-empty mess hall, he had to agree.  Most of the young students had eaten and were in lessons, their instructors ready long before them.  There was a scattering of Imperial officers, late rising Jedi and other support personal, including a few of the Chisgon women, though they would soon be leaving according to Luke's chrono.  He felt his mouth twist a little before he said, "We have got to stop working before we eat.  This is the only social life I can scramble and you appear to be the only one in it most of the time".

"What about Lando, and Chewie and Cyan?" Han asked with mock astonishment that he would leave them out.

Luke threw Han a bland glare before pointing out, "Lando has already finished breakfast and is busy drilling up acquisitions for the next shipment to come in.  Chewie's out with a slightly older group of kids teaching them the joys of wandering through a forest when you've got Force sensitivity, and Cyan is somewhere on the next continent over teaching Olive the facts of life."

"If it makes you feel any better I'm in the same bout," Han added, helping Luke ease onto a bench before seating himself beside him.  "They say it's lonely on the top."

"Top of what?" Luke asked, throwing Han a quizzical grin.  "Top of an undersized rebellion against a civilization most of the rest of the universe hasn't even heard of?  That's consoling."

Han frowned at Luke as a server droid delivered their meal.  "What's got the monkey-lizard down your throat this morning?"

Luke didn't answer for a moment, instead spent the time carefully considering the color of his mashed protatos.  Just when Han had decided he hadn't heard the question Luke answered, "Tomorrow's Ben's birthday."

"Oh.  Uh-oh," Han added, suddenly realizing Luke's unhappiness.  "She'll remember, kid.  That's not even in question—"

"She didn't last year," Luke muttered.

"Huh?  But you told me—"

"—That she sent the gift?  No, I scrounged that up on my own," Luke told him softly.  "I think Ben knew anyway, but he didn't say anything either."

Han stared at Luke in utter and complete astonishment.  "What?  You never told me—"

"Of course I didn't tell you," Luke interrupted him again, his voice made low and harsh with admission.  "It took me a while to admit it to myself.  I kept thinking the ship had just gotten in trouble and couldn't contact us, or something was wrong with the communicator."

"But Leia called, I remember that," Han put in.

Luke nodded.  "Yeah, that was the private discussion I had with her afterwards was about.  That was when she dragged Mara into the com center."

"Oh," was all Han could think to say.

"She's usually got a good story and I want to believe her, and I should, you know?  I shouldn't even have to think about it, but…but I do think about it.  And I don't know what to do," Luke finished, the words sounding whiney to his ears.

Han glared at him.  "Well, for starters you could start lettin' me in on things," he told Luke crossly.  "Then you can get on a shuttle, find that woman, and—"

"Han!" Luke stopped him, a little taken back by his friend's anger, though he couldn't honestly say he didn't share it.  "It's ok."

"Ok?!" Han raved, almost jumping to his feet.  The other scatterings of people had started to notice and were looking at the two with concern and puzzlement.  "She actually has the choice to be able to talk and see her kids and she's purposely throwing it away!"

"—Han—" Luke began, throwing a nervous glance at several preteens who had just walked in and were regarding Han with wide-eyed astonishment.

"I barely got to say hello to my kids for the first five years of their lives and she can't be bothered?!" Han continued, ignoring Luke's attempts to calm him down.  "Hell, _I'll_ take the shuttle over and drag her ass back—"

"_Han_!!" Luke shouted over him as loudly as he dared without disturbing the neighboring classrooms.

Han tried one last time, almost sputtering now.  "She's—"

"—On her way here now!" Luke finished for him, exasperated.  "Why do you think I held off ordering supplies?  We've been out of mawli fruit for six rotations."

Han felt some of his anger leave him and he relaxed back into his seat, saying only, "Oh."

"You done?" Luke asked.

"Partly," Han told him, though his voice still carried some resentment with it.

"Look, Han," Luke said earnestly once everyone had given up waiting for another outburst and had gone back to their breakfast, "I'm not saying there isn't something wrong, but this is my _wife_ we're talking about.  It's Mara, logical, methodical Mara."

Han gazed at Luke, his face pale and a squirmy feeling suddenly occupying his stomach.  "Kid, you sound like me when everyone kept telling me Leia'd killed Cyan."

"I know," Luke said, his voice coming out small.  "Don't worry about that…I know."

"Ben!"

Turning at the sound of his name, Ben saw Olive and Cyan circling for a landing above him just to the northeast.  Ben threw a glance over his shoulder then winked at Wisp.  "C'mon, lets see if this works."

"Ok!" Wisp said, giggling.

Cyan and Olive lighted on a rocky ledge.  The hill they were on was about a mile down the canyon from the Haven Base.  Here the canyon widened, giving the river broad banks that were littered with trees whose trunks seemed to be clusters of vines twining together in an intricate dance.  The canyon walls were alternating patterns of sheer and upwards thrusting rock with the occasional bush struggling into the light.  From their vantage point Cyan and Olive could see the plains that spread westward starting from the edge of the canyon.  The plains were expansive and eventually led to a large savannah.  It was the kind of vista that made Cyan's heart beat and his wings itch to spread and carry him into the great blue sky.  At the moment however what he most wanted to do was discover why Ben and Wisp were so far away from home.

"What are you two doing here?" Cyan asked, his voice not nearly as disapproving as he would like.  "You're supposed to be helping your dad take care of the twins."

Wisp had to clasp a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling when Cyan said this and Ben shushed her quickly then answered the dragon, "We are."

"Are you?" Cyan commented, realizing they looked far to pleased with themselves.  "Then where are they?"

"You have to find them!" Wisp told him, the giggles escaping despite her best efforts.

Cyan and Olive traded bemused glances and then Olive shrugged.  "It could be good for my tracking skills.  It would be nice to know I can search them out if I have too."

"Hmmm," Cyan mused.  "True, and I suspect they're not just hiding under a rock."

Cyan and Olive began to make their way down the slope, sniffing carefully at the air and scanning the area all around them.  Cyan cocked his head, listening carefully, but all he could hear was Wisp's feet scrapping impatiently against the stone.  They had carefully searched a fairly wide swath of land around Ben and Wisp when Cyan finally stopped and decided to reassess his strategy.  Ben was looking at him with the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, a smile Cyan had always associated with Mara just as she'd finally caught someone in the crosshairs.  For a moment the resemblance was so striking Cyan was taken back—Ben always seemed to take more after his father.  It hit him so hard that for a moment Cyan thought Ben was creating an illusion but he could detect no Force use from the young boy.

Then Cyan felt a twinge, and stopped.  Something about an illusion…Cyan regarded Ben carefully as he stretched out with his senses, testing his theory.  There, he could see them now.  Cyan passed Ben a bemused grin then walked over and settled down beside the two friends.

"Have you found them?" Olive asked hopefully when he saw Cyan sit.

"Yup," Cyan said, "but you have to find them on your own."

Olive's expression suddenly turned to one of consternation before he started looking again.  Cyan watched him work and after a few minutes he was forced to grudgingly admit that Olive was actually maturing quite nicely.  He had lost much of the roundness of youth, now taking on more of the sleek lines and suppleness that would make him a formidable force in the air, though emerald dragons always tended to look a little odd, even in adulthood.  His wings were proportionally larger than Cyan's, a characteristic of emeralds that made them excellent at covering great distances at speed.  His limbs were a bit stockier, his body all around burlier with a stubby tail.  He will never be that fast on the ground or in the air, Cyan decided, though he will be quite tough to knock down.  His tracking and hunting skills were coming along nicely, Cyan mused.  If anything, the older dragon determined, he was more punctilious and patient than Cyan.  Not the older would have admitted that out loud, of course.

It was almost twenty standard minutes later when Olive finally figured out what Cyan had.  "Hey!" he exclaimed, looking at a spot directly behind Ben and Wisp.  "I didn't know they could do Force illusions yet!"

"They're not supposed to," Cyan commented sternly as the twins dropped the Force projected image they had cast around themselves, giggling along with Wisp.  Cyan's eyes were on Ben who was regarding the dragon somberly.  "Ben, come with me for a moment."

"Good, Ci-an?" Shane asked, his blue eyes brilliant in the early afternoon sun.

Sorcha wrinkled her nose and tousled Shane's red mop that passed for his hair and said disdainfully, "Ya, good!"

Cyan forced a smile and told them softly, "That was very good you two, and I'll be back to talk to you guys later."

Sorcha gave Shane a knowing look, specks of jade twinkling in her eyes as a sudden gust of wind sent her blond hair curling around her head.

"Mad, Ci-an?" Shane asked, the elation briefly leaving his face.

Now it was Cyan's turn to look dismayed.  That damned face…he came across as so defeated… "Not mad," Cyan told Shane hastily as Ben climbed onto his back, "just concerned.  Olive, watch them for a minute."

"Sure," Olive said, frowning as Cyan pushed off. 

Cyan soared into the air to land on the edge of the canyon.  Ben dismounted, his expression as close to sulking as Cyan had ever seen it as the child sat down on a rock overlooking the flowing river.  _Great stars_, Cyan thought, _he's half grown up and he's just about to turn five!  This is the first time I've ever seen him sulk._  Suddenly feeling guilty, though he wasn't sure why, Cyan settled down next to Ben and watched the river run.  A memory that wasn't his surfaced, that which Luke had seen when he was about to plunge into the river on Konstan Prime.  Falling in and knowing that Mara would follow without even thinking.  Cyan shook the memory away, he had more important things to deal with now.

 "So what are you doing, Ben?" Cyan asked, deciding to get right to the point.  Ben seemed to have his mother's skill in seeing through his father and his father's dragon's charades.

"Takin' care of my family," Ben said firmly.  "Someone's got to."

Cyan's crest dropped as his worry rose.  Ben's tone had almost sounded bitter and resentful, two emotions he had never associated with the somber child.  "What do you mean?  I know your mum and your aunt are away but you've still got your father and me, not to mention Han and practically everyone else on the base."

"That's not what I meant," Ben said, his voice sounding tired and his face looking weary beyond his years.  Cyan's crest flattened completely.  "Da's got so much to do now, and he's still gettin' better.  He can't really teach us like he's supposed to.  Same with everyone else here.  An' mum…I haven't seen her since she left.  She's probably _really_ busy."  Ben said the last firmly as if he was just hoping it was true.

Platitudes automatically sprang to Cyan's lips, so quickly he almost choked on them.  He regarded the small boy and decided not to insult him with them.  "I guess we've all been too busy.  To busy to play, anyway, and you know your da really hates that.  It's just hard for him right now.  And …your mum."  He almost choked again.  "But that's no reason to start teaching Shane and Sorcha how to use the Force.  That's _dangerous_, Ben, very, very dangerous."

"I know," Ben said, and this time Cyan saw that his eyes were brimming over and he was clenching and un-clenching his hands to keep whatever emotion it was he was feeling under control.  "But what if we get attacked and we have to hide?  What if the Cragon come and they try and take us away again?  I don't wanna go back an' I don't wanna let them take Sorcha and Shane.  I'm just teachin' them how to hide."

"It won't come to that, Ben, your father won't let it," Cyan reassured him, extending his wing to circle the small boy's shoulders.  "Neither will I, and you know how stubborn I can be."

Ben smiled and nestled into Cyan's embrace.  "I always know you'll try."

  


Chapter XX

Mara flopped down on the couch in what served as she and Luke's residence on Haven.  The day before had been spent unloading supplies and readying the mess hall for Ben's fifth Life Day party.  Today had been spent entirely in celebration for Ben was much loved by the Jedi.  He was known to most of the Imperial officers as well for being an intelligent and well-grounded youth.  During the two days Mara had managed to keep herself busy enough that Luke hadn't been able to get her alone—not that he didn't try.  He wore leg braces, which were equipped to help transmit the electrical pulses being received from the section of his spine that had been replaced down to his lower body.  Consequently he could walk with relative ease with them on.  At least, that was what it appeared to just anyone watching him, but Mara saw more than just his walk.  It didn't have the spring, the eager purpose that always caught her up and carried her along.  It didn't have the same grace and lightness all his years of combat training had given him.  The subtle hint of power—physical and otherwise—was gone too.  There was just Luke, uneasy, a little awkward, and Mara suddenly felt as if he were naked and exposed.

Every time she noticed this she would have to struggle to keep colour from rising to her cheeks.  That she could do such great damage to him turned her stomach and made her hands shake.  Invariably his eyes would search her out then and she would have to find some excuse to keep from having to confront him.

Fortunately all she had to do was look at her children.  The twins were so innocent, so eager and were learning so quickly that she could hardly believe they were hers.  They were proving just as clever as Jacen and Jaina had been at their age, having pulled several pranks on the more dour Imperial officers of rank that they encountered.  They were magnificent, they were beautiful, and they looked at her as they would a stranger.

The look Ben gave her was almost worst, something akin to remorse.  He hid it well; she supposed it was a skill he had received from her.  He greeted her cheerfully and spoke to her just as he had before the twins were born but the feeling was still there.  She knew that Luke had noticed yet he remained silent—much to Mara's relief.

Finally the festivities had ended, giving Mara her first chance since arriving to relax.  She reclined gratefully on the comfortable couch and was soon dozing.  Consequently she was unaware when Luke quietly entered their room.

He stood gazing at her for a moment, noticing not for the first time since the start of her visit that she was beginning to regain some of the harsh lines around her mouth and eyes.  She looked infinitely weary and pale from long months on a spaceship with no natural light to colour her.  She suddenly looked fragile, as if she would shatter if he were to touch her.

Stepping as lightly as he could he kneeled in front of her.  Holding his breath he gingerly pushed a strand of half blue hair behind her ear.  Mara jumped and cried out, instinctively grabbing Luke's hand.  Her reaction startled him so much he fell backwards and would have fallen over completely if Mara hadn't belatedly caught him.

"OH!  I didn't hear you come it," Mara explain apologetically as she helped Luke to sit on the couch beside her when he would have struggled to do so on his own; awkward recoveries were still beyond him even with the braces.

"That's all right," Luke assured her, smiling to try and take out the fright that was lingering in her face.  "I didn't want to wake you, you looked tired."

Mara smiled though it seemed a little forced.  "Yeah, just a bit."

There was an uncomfortable moment before Luke realized that was all she was going say.  He reached up and pushed more of her hair behind her ear then caught her chin when she turned to face him.  He just smiled and looked at her until Mara couldn't help but throw him a bemused smile in return.  "You know, we didn't get to do much of this when you arrived."

"Much of what?" Mara asked, her bewilderment increasing.  Luke flashed her a grin and kissed her until she couldn't help but respond.  "Oh, _that_."

His grin suddenly lessened and it seemed like he would have said something more.  Not wanting him to—more than a little scared he would anyway—she kissed him back, holding it, drinking it until they were forced to come up for air.  She had missed this, missed his touch, his smell, the way he looked at her that made her want to melt.  She pulled him against her body even tighter then before, her fatigue forgotten.  They struggled to their feet, tugging and pulling at each other's clothes as Luke inched them toward their room.  They'd just passed beyond the threshold when Mara managed to rip the clasps of Luke's shirt open and pulled it hurriedly from his shoulders. She moved her lips down his neck and chest.  She straightened when Luke pulled her tank top over her head and then their lips met again.  Suddenly he pulled back slightly, clasping her shoulders when she would have pressed against him again and struggled to get his breathing under control.

Mara knew he was going to speak, and she didn't want him to.  She just wanted him to touch her, to hold her until she burst.  She didn't want him to speak, she didn't want—

"Shhh," Luke whispered and it was then Mara realized she had spoken out loud.  "You know I love you," he said very softly, "I will always love you."

Mara looked up at him, her eyes seeming somehow more sunken then they had before, her face paling as if someone had just knocked the wind out of her.  "You love me, do you," she said, an edge finding its way into her voice, "even after I did this to you?"  Suddenly she reached behind him to the transmitter that was attached to the base of his back and ripped it off.  He let out a startled yelp when his legs gave out from underneath him and he clutched at Mara's arms, pulling them both down onto the bed.

"Yes," he told her when they had recovered, his face and voice just as savage as hers.  "Always yes!"

"You're not supposed to, damnit!" she cried slamming her fist down on his chest, almost knocking the wind from him.

"Why not?" he demanded, holding her tightly when she would have pulled away from him.  "I never blamed you!"

Without warning she slapped him, stunning him into silence.  "Don't lie to me, Luke Skywalker, I know your heart just as well as you know mine!"

"I never wanted to punish you!" Luke told her, the ferocity of her emotions almost overwhelming him.  "You seem to be doing that adequately on your own! I just—" he touched his finger to her lips when she would have interrupted him, "—want to be with you, to share with you whatever comes our way, no matter what happens."

"You can't," Mara whispered brokenly, her eyes brimming over, "you can't…"

Luke closed off her denials with his own lips, using the Force to gather up all his love and support and adoration and slamming it into her.  Her body twisted, straining against recoiling or welcoming the contact until she couldn't help but be carried away with the emotions, the heat surged through her, the incredulity mixing with the ecstasy that left her exhausted beyond anything she thought possible.

The next morning Mara woke first.  She opened her eyes to see his face relaxed in sleep, the cares he carried for once not evident there.  His hair was plastered to his forehead and neck.  His legs were tangled with hers, as he was apt to do whenever they slept together.  She stroked his face with the back of her hand and he turned unconsciously toward her touch.  She snatched her hand back and sat up, blinking away sudden tears.  Stealing stealthily from their bed she dressed quickly and quietly slipped from their quarters into the morning sun just making its first appearance over the northwestern ridge.  The air was crisp and it bit into her lungs.  She almost welcomed the sensation as she started off at a brisk job; the air was bitter going down and her joints were warming up too slowly to take the shock of her weight, sending jolts of pain lancing up her legs and back.  She breathed deep and increased her pace, heading up towards the plains.

The sun was fully half way to its zenith by the time she headed back.  She stopped for a moment to rest in a glade about a five minutes walk from the base, suddenly realizing how tired she was.  The exercise facilities on _Bairn_ were excellent, but they just couldn't reproduce the invigorating work out that cross-country could.  _I have been in space too long; I'm getting out of shape!_  She snorted, suddenly feeling more like her usual frank self-evaluation than she had in a while, _Face it, you weren't in shape when you left._

Once her breathing slowed and her heart no longer beat in her ears she became aware of the rhythmic sound of feet springing lightly off the ground.  Stepping to the edge of the clearing she stopped and smiled, then settled against a tree to watch.

Luke was working on Cyan, practicing some ground work which Cyan found tedious but seemed to keep him in good condition and helped maintain his balance—oddly this was harder on the ground than in the air, perhaps because by losing it he was almost guaranteed to hit something.  Though Cyan often went on his hind legs, thus freeing up his forearms and making it easier to spread his wings for balance, Luke kept him on all four today.  Cyan detested his since four were obviously a lot more difficult to manage than two and usually the only time he did so on his own was when he was about to ram something.  At the moment he was not traveling fast at all; trotting neatly in place, Cyan's spine rounded elegantly, putting as much of his weight on his powerful hindquarters as he could so his front end could support his wings and Luke's body.

Luke kept him in place for about the count of ten and then sent him gently forward, his stride still containing energy, but there was a definite pause in-between each step.  Keeping him at that pace Luke asked the dragon to side step, to rotate on his forehand, then his hindquarters, and just about every other maneuver he had ever been taught while learning to ride the various beasties the Rebel Alliance had chosen to use over the long stretch of the war.  Cyan shifted into a canter, still maintaining the same tempo as before, rounding under Luke even more.

When Luke flexed Cyan around a large, lazy circle, he came close enough that Mara could see his gritted teeth and sweat beading his brow.  She shifted her eyesight down and saw his heel move back slightly, encouraging Cyan's hindquarters to flex in—something that was easy enough for Luke to do _before_ the "accident".  Now that should have been all but impossible, at least so far as Mara had kept up on his recovery.  She felt her cheeks burn with shame and started to inch her way back into the forest, hoping to find a round about way back to the base.

Suddenly Cyan tossed his head and came to a square halt before he turned himself and Luke to face directly at Mara—and for once kept his frame.  Mara froze as if caught doing something she ought not to, which struck her as odd; she had watched Luke and Cyan work all the time, it was quite a beautiful thing.  Eventually she realized Cyan still remained in form only because Luke was restraining him—oddly enough the dragon seemed rather inclined not to go near her; he tossed his head, flattening and raising his ridge and attempted to get behind Luke's leg, which seemed to be surprisingly effective for someone who was only supposed to have just over 30% manual dexterity in his lower half.  Well, he had proven himself more than capable the night before of using his bottom end.  Mara's face reddened a little further.

Resolving herself to facing whatever was going through Luke's head (she could guess at least one thing) Mara walked out to meet them since Cyan didn't seem inclined to come toward her.  She smiled tentatively at him and he returned it, genuinely enough though Cyan's face worried.  Eventually he stopped his dancing and nodded a greeting to her.

"Good morning, you two.  How's your ride?" she asked pleasantly.

"Good," Luke answered evenly.  "Where have you been all morning?"

The question was valid enough, but it brought that guilty qualm back to the pit of her stomach.  "Out running, you know I like to go for a long one on my first day back.  I didn't have time yesterday with all the work that had to be done."  Luke nodded as if the answer didn't surprise him.  "Cyan looks good," she added by way of emptying the awkward silence.  Which was true, the dragon's muscles rippled underneath polished sapphire and his movements were as deft as always.

"Thank you," Cyan said, but he still looked uncomfortable.  She saw a quick quiver from him and Luke frowned darkly, then Cyan sighed and settled himself in the grass so Luke was almost eye level with Mara.

"Mara, can we talk?" Luke asked earnestly.

Mara felt her smile lessen slightly.  "I thought that's what we were doing."

"No, we're not," Luke informed her, shaking his head in disgust.  "We're exchanging pleasantries.  We've been exchanging pleasantries for over a year now and I'll not have it anymore.  Help me down," he suddenly asked her, reaching for his leg straps.

"Don't!" Cyan exclaimed, jumping to his feet and skittering away from the reeling Mara.  "Come away, Luke, come away!  Now is not the time to do this.  Mara looks hungry, let her go back and get something to eat, and then _you_ can get something to eat as well—" Cyan's reproachful glare at this point was almost comical in it intensity but Mara's knees were too weak for her to trust herself laughing, "—and then we'll talk at the table.  _Calmly_."

"_CYAN_!" Luke snarled, backing up the reprimand with the Force.  Cyan squealed and sidestepped back to Mara, resisting each step but knowing his duty and Luke's sudden powerful influence on him.  Mara felt cold all over; Luke had used this on other dragons but _never_ had he thought to use it on Cyan.  What could they be disagreeing about?  Mara looked at Cyan's face and could have shivered: he knows what Luke will say and he does not want him to say it!  What could this be?  Cyan was always Luke's staunchest supporter, taking great offence where Luke would take a little.  Yet he had always protected her too…

"Say it, Luke," Mara enjoined, striding toward him now, wanting nothing more than to get things out.  She was as sick of hiding as he was.  "Don't run, Cyan, I _want_ to hear it."

Cyan whimpered and shook his head.  "No, you don't."

"Mara, just tell me why you haven't been here," Luke asked, his eyes pleading.

Mara furrowed her brows.  "I've been on _Bairn_, taking care of things until you're back and we can get this war going in earnest again.  There's a lot to be done—"

"The truth, Mara!" Luke cried, the anguish in his voice causing her to step back.  "You hide from me and your children.  You finally come back and you hide from us still.  I tell you I love you, I tell you I don't blame for anything that happened and you _hit_ me!  Tell me why!"

"I haven't—" Mara began harshly.

"Yes, you have," Luke interrupted her again and then was occupied with keeping Cyan from leaving.

"Come away, Luke!" Cyan cried against Luke's steadying hold.  "Don't do this!"

With a supreme effort of willpower, Luke managed to kick Cyan back to Mara, who stood trembling with such a whirl of emotions she wondered she didn't fly apart at the seams. 

"I know why," Luke said, his voice low and shaky as if he were having the same battle with his voice that he was having with his dragon.  "No one will say it to you except me and you'll probably hate me for it.  Usually I would give you more credit than that, love, but you're not yourself anymore."  Mara's eyebrows rose alarmingly.  "I think you want me to blame you.  You want all of us to blame you because if we do than all you have to do is accept our blame, atone and then go on with your life without this niggly cloud over your head.  If we don't blame you than you _have_ to think about why you did it on your own, and you're as scared of doing it as I was of telling you it."

"_What_?" was all Mara could sputter.

Luke looked down at his hands that were still grasping the reins tightly, though Cyan had given up fighting now that the words had come out.  "You once told me just before we got married that you needed to learn how to open yourself up emotionally, and I agree.  No insult to you, of course love, that's just how your life shaped you.  But, darling, we've been married a while and I can tell you your not there yet!  _I_ can figure out why you did what you did, I know you well enough to figure it out on my own.  But I don't think _you_ know, and I really wish you'd let your family help you."

It was almost a full minute before she could respond.  "Where do you get off—"

"At the wedding stand, love," Luke said quietly.

Mara's eyes flashed dangerously.  "I think you're confused, _darling_.  Being married doesn't mean you can sit there and—and—" Mara struggled for a word that would explain it.

"Tell you how to live your live your life?" Luke supplied.

"Yes!"

"Well, I can't.  I never could, it's ultimately your choice—it always has been.  If I thought otherwise you probably wouldn't have wasted your time marrying me," Luke told her callously.  "But I can hope you'd ask my opinion once in a while."

Mara tried to think of something to say but her anger, though hot, was hollow and she knew she couldn't sustain it, not with him.  Her lip curling in something she blatantly recognized as an old emotional barrier she'd thought long since gone.  She stormed out of the field, not bothering to look back.

Luke stayed sitting on Cyan long after she had left, wondering what he had done.

"What in the cold black void did you say to her?" Corran asked later evening.  Mara had gone back to _Bairn_ without much more than a snarl in anyone's direction.

"Never mind," Luke muttered.  He and Cyan had gone flying after Mara had left.  It was the only refuge they could think off that could distract them from their thoughts.  Sometimes, Luke reflected, it was awful troublesome to share all your thoughts with someone else.

"Are you sure?" Corran asked in concern.  "She seemed a bit upset."

"I don't want to talk about it," Luke told him, the words sounding sullen even in his own ears.

Corran's eyebrows lifted disbelievingly but he let the matter drop.  They were standing by the recreational area, watching Corran's students play.  There were coming along splendidly as far as Luke could tell, and Corran (after a lot of cajoling on Mirax's part) was finally starting to trust himself enough to starting teaching them at a more advanced pace.

Corran took a moment before articulating his next question, "When are you going back up to _Bairn_ yourself?"

Luke's response took far less time than Corran's comment, "As soon as possible."

  


Chapter XXI

**Sixteen standard weeks later**

Mara's lightsaber cleaved through the blaster of the Cragon before her, whirling around and dropping him to the blood soaked earth with a kick to the face.  The attack had come fierce and without warning.  They had been setting up relations in this sector of space and somehow it had gotten out to the Cragon that they were on Delquii Prime.  Now she and most of the fighting Jedi and all the volunteers they had currently residing on _Bairn_ were fighting for their lives.

Mara went forth to the front line of Jedi slicing into the Cragon foot soldiers.  Fortunately it wasn't a large force and they could probably fight them off with a minimum of casualties.  These attacks had become more and more frequent as Mara pushed the area the Jedi were willing to help protect and thus _Bairn_'s presence became easier and easier to detect.  At the moment the Cragon were relying mostly on foot soldiers, as was historically their custom since Jedi fought on the ground it made sense to meet them there for true combat.  Today though they were supplying two squadrons of air support (which were being met with _Bairn_'s small complacent of scrounged X-Wings and Y-Wings). They were on a broad plain that was shaped into a wedge by a long ridge and a steep cliff that contained one of Delquii Prime's most prominent industrial centres.  Leia was on the ridge behind them directing the non-Jedi's laser fire.  She could hear her strident voice carrying over the whine of lightsabers and scream of blasters.  There was a wash of bodies around her, fighting, heaving, breathing, crying, dying.  She felt a threat behind her and swept her lightsaber in a broad arch, slicing a Cragon soldier in two.  Gritting her teeth Mara pressed on, struggling to keep her Jedi from being separated in the melee where they could be more easily cut down.  As a general rule one Jedi was worth more than a few Cragon foot soldiers but not cut off completely from their compatriots.

"Mara!" Leia called through their comlink.  "We need reinforcements!"

"We're fine," Mara informed her, thankful she had thought to put her comlink on her collar and flick on so she would have both hands free.

Leia was not assured.  "Those fighters are getting close!  There could be collateral damage if the debris starts landing here—we need to end this fight fast!"

"We're fine!  Just keep them off our backs!" Mara snarled, cutting off an enemy's arm just below the elbow before he could shoot Miko in the back.

"Damnit, Mara!  We can't take on a whole nation by ourselves!" Leia suddenly shouted into the comlink.

Mara sent forth a sudden flurry of attacks and abruptly found herself unmolested for the time being.  She grabbed her collar and spoke as firmly as possible, "I never implied such a thing: saving the universe is yours and your brother's job, not mine.  I manage the Jedi until Luke can again and we are going to win!"

"At what cost, Mara?" Leia asked, infuriated.  "We can't go on like this, there's no reason too!  Call Valdork!  The Imps have a base there, we can pull back and they can be here in a few hours—"

"I CAN TAKE CARE OF US!!" Mara shouted into her comlink, almost choking on her own spittle.  Several of the Jedi around her looked at her in alarm but Mara sent them such a virulent glare that they went back to the much friendlier business of fighting for there lives.  Mara ripped her comlink from her jacket and stomped on it, cutting off Leia's reply.

"Mara…" Kam began.

"Get back in formation!" She ordered him, following her own words with a vengeance, cutting down soldiers with quelling efficiency, so incensed that she didn't care if she killed them or not.  The only thing that mattered was cutting them down before they could harm any of those around her she cared about.  That was all that mattered—

Suddenly Mara's ears were split by the sonic boom of a X-Wing shooting past.  It had finally shot down one of the Cragon fighters and was looping around to return to the main aerial battle.  It took Mara a second to realize the ruined fighter hadn't completely disintegrated from the explosion and looked to wind up landing right on top of them!

"Get out of the way!" she cried, grabbing Kam by the shoulder and dragging him towards the spot where the ridge and cliff met.  Gradually people saw what was happening and stopping fighting long enough to bolt for whatever cover they could.  "Get down!" she added a split second before the doomed ship hit, diving for the ground.

There was a rumbling crash and then an even larger explosion as those parts of the ship that hadn't disintegrated finally caught and sheered off in every direction.  A piece of shrapnel sliced her skin just above her brow, instantly flooding her left eye with blood.  She was sure her ears were bleeding as well after the shockwave hit them; an incessant ringing momentarily deafened her.  She struggled groggily to her feet, irritable wiping the blood slowly gumming her eye closed and saw with her good eye others beginning to rise.  Somehow she retrieved her lightsaber and starting trying to gather her Jedi together.  She stumbled towards the edge of the cliff, now separated from the ridge by the pitiful spacecraft wreckage.  She felt disoriented—the ringing wouldn't stop and it was all she could do to keep from falling to her knees and vomiting.

She was so preoccupied by her own condition that at first she didn't noticed the rumble emanating from the ground.  When she finally did notice it took her a few minutes to realize what was happening.  The force of the ship's impact had loosened the ground near the edge of the cliff, which unhappily was a rather prominent outcropping that was starting to crumble free.

"Run…" she whispered though she still could not hear her own voice for the ringing in her ears.  "Run!" she yelled uselessly for anyone who was near her was defend as well.  She waved frantically for people to hurry and almost lost her precarious balance for her efforts.  Several jolts shot through the ground as the edge disengaged itself and finally others started to figure out what Mara had and ran or crawled for safety.  Mara started pulling people to their feet though she could still barely stand herself.  She saw Miko stumbling, clutching his bloodied arm to his chest.  She grabbed him and they ran toward the edge.  All of a sudden the ground heaved up in front of them and the edge tipped dangerously.  Mara shoved Miko as hard as she could, thrusting him to the safety of the other side and grabbed the protruding edge that had just appeared before them.  Still all she could hear was ringing.

Movement caught her eye; she could see Leia on the other side, reaching out to her.  Mara started to reach back just as a Cragon clutch the edge beside her, recognizing Leia, brought his blaster still clutched in his hand to bare.  Letting go of the edge she swung her lightsaber around and ended his struggle right there.  Her perilous grip gone she began to slide down the ever-increasing incline.  She was traveling so fast against the uneven ground that the material of her coat started to fray.  She was almost at the end when the edge at last sheared off the cliff and everything was falling.  Still all that she could hear was ringing.

Everything was passing by her so quickly; the walls a blur in her watering eyes, the ground underneath her was oddly solid, hair whipping violently about her face, the cut had bloodied her eye passed seeing, her stomach was twisting until she wretched, the multitude around her screamed and cried, she gripped the ground hard with one more idea, she looked up to the far 'way sky winking, the light was at the top of the tunnel, she was falling once more into darkness, the darkness was falling on top of her, there was the ground coming up to meet them, there was the end staring her in the face, now's the end now's the end now's the end now, and all she could hear.


End file.
